I had the pleasure of mixing in Austria (with the splendid engineer Marcus Wippersberg at the helm) two of the feature cuts on the album just recently – one being a real tour-de-force piece written by Alex Machacek, and the other being my piece “Sulley” (which is a tune performed regularly by ourselves in John McLaughlin’s 4th Dimension.)  On the former – which is still at rough mix stage – I am featured on drums, and I feel it’s turned out very strongly.  The version of “Sulley” I am also particularly excited about.  I have maestro John McLaughlin and bass giant Mark King going head to head throughout the whole piece.  There’s an interesting tonality aspect to it all that I’ve introduced, and I’m very proud of the experiments we made on this cut.  I think it’s all come off marvellously rude, audacious, pretty different and (for me) very stimulating.  It reveals a stunning and monstrously spirited performance by Mark that I feel probably only a certain few would associate with him (from his legendary stylings over the years in his famous group Level 42), and I’m really very proud to feature it.  John is John, and is on absolutely great form throughout.

You’re hearing also a tiny snippet at the end of another piece by me – “England Green” – which, when mixed, will reveal a lovely performance guitarist Jimmy Herring played.  He has something very, very special and soulful and I’m particularly delighted to be featuring him on the album. On bass on that track; again the very formidable Laurence Cottle.

There is also an unmixed version of Allan Holdsworth’s “Fred” we have in preparation for mix (originally featured on the Tony Williams New Lifetime album “Believe It”, and it’s a tune I have also played regularly with Allan over the recent years.)  On bass here, again the sublime Mr Jimmy Johnson, and on keyboards and synth solo once again on this follow-up album we have the great Jan Hammer. From the original LA sessions I will also feature another take of “Boulevard Baloneyo” which for me is very special, and for this album we’ll probably give it a “re-travelled” tag in the title.

There are sweeter moments regularly planned for the album (many of which I’m working on from the keyboards) which I hope will enchant.

I’m back in the studio in London this month (June) preparing two other electric pieces.  A cover of John McLaughlin’s piece “New Blues Old Bruise” featuring a great friend and tenor saxophone virtuoso Sean Freeman (along with bassist Etienne MBappe and myself.)  I will also be recording another electric piece – an older piece of mine previously entitled “East End West End” – which will feature another great old friend of mine; the very electric Ray Russell on guitar.

It’s a wait and see situation with my brother Allan Holdsworth. I have asked him for a new piece which we’ll do together … I know he’s on the way with it, but whether we get it together or not in time for the album remains to be seen.  I’m keeping everything crossed.

Add to all this more of Robin Trower and Livi Brown, hopefully a track to be recorded with Wayne Krantz and maybe another with Mike Stern, and a cover of another Jan Hammer track called “Rain”.  That’s actually a piece that was featured in Jan’s excellent music for Miami Vice, and it’s a touching little thing – very much with a pop sensibility to it.  For guitar on this I’m in now in touch with Neil Taylor, who is someone I’ve personally been a huge fan of on guitar since I heard his riveting solo in the ’80s on Tears For Fears song “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”.  Hopefully all goes to plan with this and I get him for the track around his busy schedule with Robbie Williams.

.

I’m still following leads and trying to schedule accordingly around mine and their diaries.  Many more developments to come!

I’ll be back with further updates soon.

Sincerely,

GH

• America/Canada:
  16 November 2010
• Australia/New Zealand:
  20 November 2010 (through Planet/MGM Distribution)
• Japan:
  20 November 2010 (with bonus track) on King Records
• South Korea:
  28 November 2010
• India:
  1 December 2010 (through Virgin/EMI Distribution)
• Europe (incl. U.K.):
  28 January 2011

Pre-orders (and audio samples) are available now at Abstract Logix Records

You can also pre-order the CD at:
Amazon U.K. |  Amazon U.S. |  Amazon Germany … and more!

There is a brief audio montage there of many of the featured tracks available to hear, as well as the official Interview / Press Release and CD front cover image.

Dirty & Beautiful, Gary’s eagerly awaited upcoming CD, features John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Steve Hackett, Robin Trower, Jan Hammer, Steve Topping, Jimmy Johnson, Mark King, Laurence Cottle, Jerry Goodman, Livingstone Brown and others.

The recordings took place at Red Vine Studios (Ternberg Austria), Eastcote Studios (London), Red Gate Studio (N.Y.C), Mediastarz Studio (Monaco), The Summerhouse (Isle Of Wight) , Conway Recorders (Los Angeles) among others.

For those who may wish to pre-order the CD you can also do that at the page.

If you check out the ‘Dirty & Beautiful Sessions’ album in the Photo Gallery here on this website you will hear a slightly alternative brief audio montage of many of the tracks while you view the pics that document many of the recording sessions.

Dirty & Beautiful Volume 1 is released on the Abstract Logix Records label in November 2010

Enjoy!

Of the up and coming features I’m looking forward to working towards with Nadja will be a new Downloads section, where I will be able to offer new, rare or previously unavailable music (not featured on any CD releases) as mp3 downloads. There’s also a whole new Press Lounge area that is ideal for visiting journalists, containing hi-res pictures, masses of information and more.  We resisted building any kind of forum or blog area on the website, despite many requests to me over the years, but there is a contact section here that you most welcome to use for comments.  If you do wish to submit any questions or enquiries to me that are related to music, there’s a “sticky” thread over at the Drummerworld forum entitled “Gary Husband here!” which I set up some time ago. A bunch of us look in there, rap and exchange ideas from time to time, and when there’s time permitting, I do answer!

We hope you enjoy your visits to the website, thank you always for your support and hope to see you here again soon!!

I’ll share with you something my great friend (bassist) Jimmy Johnson reminded of recently, and this is that “a deadline is a really good thing!!”  Great advice!  Some I needed to hear!

This album will be by next release on the Abstract Logix label – a return to roots so to speak, an album very much in the electric jazz/rock vein and one featuring myself at the drums and electric keyboards.  There is no great conceptual theme to this one – it’s electric music I feel like playing, with musicians I feel like playing with.  The material is mixed; some new, some ‘electric band’ material I have from out of the archives and I will also present a couple of covers.  The guest performers I have planned to play on the album are varied and among the greatest musicians in the world – friends and colleagues that I am blessed to be working steadily with, plus one or two I have hardly met!

Following a tour of Canada and California I did with Allan Holdsworth and Jimmy last year I recruited both of those musicians plus guest performer (Mahavishnu Orchestra and Gary Husband’s Force Majeure violinist) Jerry Goodman for a session at Conway Recorders in Los Angeles.  That was a great day, for this session was the beginning of the project!  Here we got a great take of an Allan Holdsworth piece that is regularly played on his concerts (and one that has not been previously recorded), a very nice take of a number Allan formally wrote back in the 70′s (for the New Tony Williams Lifetime) called “Fred” – very much a nod to the great TW – a Jan Hammer piece called “Between The Sheets Of Music” (which featured Jerry) and a new composition of my own entitled “Boulevard Boloneyo”.

My next venture will be to record two tracks in Austria and Monaco that are to feature the great John McLaughlin – “Sulley” (which I have been performing with John regularly these past few years with his band The 4th Dimension) and another one of my newer pieces; “Dreams In Blue”.  Playing bass on the latter will be Jimmy Johnson and on the former piece, an old colleague of mine, Mark King.  (It’s become apparent to me that I’m hand-picking musicians I’ve worked with before, in very much their realm.  I realise I’m recruiting them for this project to bend into my realm!)

I’ll be then going for some London-based sessions that will feature first an old friend of mine – maestro guitarist and composer Steve Topping, (appearing on a piece he wrote that is ideal for the album), and I’m hoping to get the three-piece of Jack Bruce, Robin Trower and myself together again for another cut.  Back in the U.S., I am a big admirer of the great guitarist Jimmy Herring, and I have planned for him at least one piece he has kindly consented to perform on – an old one from me called “England Green”.  There are another couple of surprises that hopefully will come together too, as always, depending on people’s availability.

If you’d like to view some pictures of the first LA session featuring Allan, Jimmy, Jerry and myself please check out a little photo album featuring over at my MySpace page – www.myspace.com/garyhusband

I will be updating progress of this gigantic international project regularly, as it materialises, right here!

John McLaughlin's "To The One”

I am proud to announce this new release which was recorded in Nice, France, during the last week of November 2009.  I was given two tracks to play as principal drummer, while on two other tracks I recorded as additional drummer (along with principal drummer in the group, Mark Mondesir.)  Apart from this I am the keyboardist and synth player on all tracks, so I feel very “present” on this album!  The recording features John in electric and inspired form and features the debut of (new addition) the great Etienne Mbappé in the group.

It’s available via Amazon, the Abstract Logix label website and I’m sure pretty soon for download at iTunes.

Gary Husband on new Alexander Shulgin material piano album

The new album featuring piano interpretations of the music of Russian composer Alexander Shulgin (that I arranged, performed and produced myself recently) will be entitled “Book of Tales . Skazki for the Boys”, and it looks like there will be a release around Sept/Oct 2010. This is my second project arranging Alexander’s music, and this one is a particularly creative endeavour that I feel really happy about.  A lot of my old methods again appear in the arrangements such as layered piano performances, “in-piano percussion” etc, and the album also features a guest appearance by Steve Hackett on acoustic guitars.

There’ll be further updates on news of the CD in due course.

So the new album project has officially begun! But it will progress gradually, as I’ll be recording internationally and fairly much as and when I can between other tours.