Record Reviews

GARY HUSBAND / DRIVE ~ HOTWIRED ABSTRACT LOGIX 015 (Barcode: 827912084474) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2008 Released: 2009 This is a great album by British drummer / keyboardist / composer Gary HusbandFind albums by this artist and his quartet called DriveFind albums by this artist, which also includes trumpeter Richard TurnerFind albums by this artist (who sadly died at the ridiculous young age of 27 from a heart attack three years after this album was recorded), saxophonist Julian SiegelFind albums by this artist and American (resident in London) bassist Michael JanischFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tunes, six of which are original compositions by Husband, one is by Siegel and two are standards. Although Husband´s work is usually associated with Jazz-Rock Fusion, and even though this album is even labeled as such on its cover, this music is way more real Jazz than Fusion oriented and often ventures into freely improvised passages, not to mention collective improvisations, all of which have little to do with the usual Fusion drudgery. As a result this album might catch some of Husband´s fans by surprise, but this is modern Jazz at its best folks. All four musicians are of course incredible instrumentalists, and therefore the level of performances herein comes as no surprise. Although melody based, the music is mostly about individual improvisations and teamwork. Husband sets the pace of course with his polyrhythmic beat and dominant drive, but he leaves a lot of space for everybody to contribute and plays a few nasty piano parts on top if it. The trumpet / saxophone unisono parts and dialogues are full of fire and grace, not to mention the explosive solos. The bass pulsations keep the music on a firm ground and the bass solos curdle your blood. In short this album kicks your bottom from start to finish. Overall this is a great modern Jazz album, which continues the proud British Jazz tradition of individuality and excellence. I can´t think of a true Jazz fan that would not be impressed by this album and I hope to hear more of similar music in the future. It´s been a while since this album was recorded so another drive would be most welcome. It´s about time for Gary Husband to get the respect and recognition he truly deserves. He is way to modest and good natured to put his elbows to work, so at least those who appreciate his talents should state their opinions out loud. The fact that Husband plays drums and keyboards and does so with the same deadly proficiency is part of the problem, as people often get confused as to his "true" devotion. Well, get used to this folks, he might be instrumentally schizophrenic, but both parts of his musical personality live perfectly in peace with each other. Keep up the great work Sir!

Updated: 02/07/2016Posted: 02/07/2016

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