Fusion isn't as plentiful as it was back in the 1970s, which was the
golden age of fusion just as the '30s and early '40s were the golden age
of swing and the mid- to late '40s and '50s were the golden age of bop.
But noteworthy fusion can still be found if you know where to look for
it, and
Gary Husband's
Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1
is an example of noteworthy 21st century fusion. An impressive cast of
fusion icons joins the British keyboardist/drummer/composer on this 2010
release, including guitarists
Allan Holdsworth and
John McLaughlin and keyboardist
Jan Hammer; guitarist
Robin Trower, who is best known for hard rock and blues-rock, is also on board. With such a cast, one would expect five-star results. But
Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1
falls short of exceptional, although it's still an enjoyable, solid
outing as well as a fairly diverse one. This 51-minute CD, which is
dominated by
Husband's
original material, has its more aggressive moments (including "Ternberg
Jam" and "Dreams in Blue"), but many of the tunes are on the
reflective, contemplative side; that is certainly true of "Bedford
Falls," "Afterglow," "The Maverick," "Averstone Jam," and the mysterious
"Boulevard Baloneyo." And
Husband
reminds listeners that quality fusion, like quality bop, quality
Dixieland, or quality swing, isn't just about pyrotechnics -- which is
why there is a lot of lyricism on this album to go with all the chops
and technical proficiency. Fusion enthusiasts will appreciate the amount
of nuance that
Husband and his soloists bring to
Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1.
For some, recruiting an all-star cast means nothing more than a budget to support it, but in the case of Gary Husband's
Dirty & Beautiful Volume 1,
it reflects the many friendships the keyboardist/drummer has built over
the years—all clearly happy to help deliver the album that should, by
all rights, put him more squarely on the map as a leader in his own
right.
John McLaughlin,
Allan Holdsworth, Robin Trower,
Level 42...all
well-known names in jazz and rock/pop circles; and yet, Husband has
never managed the same cachet. Since focusing on making his keyboard
work an equal to the reputation he's built as a powerhouse drummer,
through albums including his wonderful solo piano tributes to Holdsworth
and McLaughlin—
The Things I See (Angel Air, 2004), and
A Meeting of Spirits (Alternity, 2006)—as well as his ensemble-driven
Aspire (Jazzizt, 2004)—Husband has, however, been achieving greater visibility, most recently in McLaughlin's 4th Dimension, whose
To The One (Abstract Logix, 2010) is the overdue studio debut of a group that's been impressing audiences
on the road since 2007.
If for nothing else—and there are plenty of other reasons, to be sure—
Dirty & Beautiful is notable as the album that reunites McLaughlin with
Mahavishnu Orchestra keyboardist
Jan Hammer and violinist
Jerry Goodman.
That the three don't actually play together becomes irrelevant, as each
turns in a stunning performance, from Hammer's guitaristic synth work
on Holdsworth's potent opener, "Leave 'Em On," a longtime live staple
for the guitarist's trio with Husband and bassist
Jimmy Johnson,
to McLaughlin's extended fireworks on Husband's "Dreams in Blue," the
album's longest track at over ten minutes that, in addition to Husband's
effervescent kit work, features a set-defining piano solo. Goodman's
equally incendiary performance on the greasier "Between the Sheets of
Music" also comes close to being an early set-stealer; an old Hammer
tune on which the keyboardist doesn't play, leaving it to Goodman,
Husband, Holdsworth and Johnson. It's been decades since the first
Mahavishnu Orchestra imploded, but every one of these players has never
sounded better.
Elsewhere, Husband engages in some bluesy,
Jimi Hendrix-ian psychedelic jamming on a retro look at
Miles Davis' riff-based "Yesternow," courtesy of Trower, while ex-
Genesis guitarist
Steve Hackett
turns in a surprisingly fusion-esque performance on drummer's laidback
"Moon Song," and Level 42 bassist Mark King brings out the funk on the
closing "Alverstone Jam."
Throughout, Husband is a multiple
threat: a drummer capable of laying a meaty groove while, at the same
time, ratcheting up the energy level with his interpretive interaction; a
keyboardist who delivers finely honed melodism as much as expansively
textured landscapes; and a broad-reaching writer, from the
Joe Zawinul-esque
"Bedford Falls" to the brooding "Boulevard Baloneyo," an alternate
version of which is included as a bonus track on the Japanese edition.
The debut of Husband's post-bop Drive, on
Hotwired (Abstract Logix, 2009), may have been tragically overlooked, but the all-star cast and fusion leanings of
Dirty & Beautiful Volume 1 should push Husband up into radar range, and hopefully lead to the second volume promised by its title.
Over the course of a remarkable, still-unfolding career, Gary
Husband has defined himself as the ultimate musician's musician: a
fiery, perceptive presence who elevates every scenario -from the tightly
arranged to pure, open-ended improvisation. Whether focusing on his
intricate, propulsive drumming or unleashing his nimble, harmonically
astute keyboard abilities, Husband never fails to make his presence
felt, while always remaining sympathetic to his fellow musicians and to
the composition at hand. His vast range of experience allows him to
balance the technical and the intuitive with rare grace, earning him the
opportunity to perform and record alongside such maverick, inventive
talents as John McLaughlin, Jeff Beck, Allan Holdsworth, Jack Bruce,
Mike Stern, Robin Trower, Billy Cobham, Gary Moore, Level 42, Andy
Summers, and many, many more.
In addition to his prolific career as a sideman, the British-born
Husband has recorded seven of his own albums, featuring his
multi-instrumental, compositional, and bandleading skills in an array of
contexts. He is now poised to release his most ambitious project yet,
the two-volume Dirty & Beautiful, volume one of which is to be made
available by Abstract Logix on November 16, 2010, with volume two to
follow in Spring of 2011. A visionary exercise years in the making,
recorded in studios around the world, Dirty & Beautiful Volume One
is a riveting showcase for the many gleaming facets of Husband's musical
imagination, featuring an enviable cast of supporting musicians, among
them John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Robin Trower, Steve Hackett
(Genesis), Jerry Goodman (Mahavishnu Orchestra), Jimmy Herring
(Widespread Panic, the Dead, Allman Brothers Band), Jan Hammer
(Mahavishnu Orchestra and Miami Vice TV series soundtrack), Mark King
(Level 42), and more.
"I feel this album to be rich, full of extremes, and passionate,"
Husband reflects. "It's not at all my first album, but it feels a
little like a debut album, in that it heralds a return to my jazz/rock
roots." The album's title hints at the unique co-existence that defines
his music: for all its sophistication, technique, and facility, there is
an underlying grit and intensity that somehow only enhances the
luminous beauty at the core of these performances. "If I think about
what it actually is to play -what the feeling is in what I chase
-there's a quest for a profound beauty there, certainly. But it can't
really be whole, to me, without the grunge, and the dirt. Like picking a
fresh raspberry in the woods and eating it."
Despite its kaleidoscopic range of styles, textures, and
grooves -not to mention the various globe-spanning locales in which it
was recorded -this first instalment of Dirty & Beautiful is
powerfully coherent, thanks to both the consistent quality of its
contributors and to Husband's careful curatorial instinct. "As with any
album I make," he explains, "I concerned myself directly with the
overall curve of the record -the journey it presents, how it travels
from track to track, and the overall coherency. But, as I strongly hoped
for since the beginning, and in spite of the fact there are a lot of
artists from very different realms here, there is a definite, very
particular kind of coherency going on through the several different
lineups just doing what we do together -everything and everyone towards
the same cause. The whole thing plays as I'd hoped -as one message,
with everyone concerned conveying the same level of commitment, energy
and heart from track to track through their performances. After all,
the artists involved here are all so great, a lot of factors kind of end
up taking care of themselves anyway!"
From Robin Trower's churning, wailing post-Hendrix guitar on the
brief visit to Miles Davis's "Yesternow", to Steve Hackett's stirring
interpretation of the wistful "Moon Song" through to Mark King's
slithering bass on the refracted second-line funk of the closing
"Alverstone Jam," Dirty & Beautiful Volume One is an explosive,
evocative celebration of the of the mutual respect between Husband and
his collaborators, and instantly heightens the anticipation for the
second volume. "It's predominantly a record just about playing the kind
of material I feel like playing right now with people, friends, and
musical colleagues that I feel like playing with," Husband concludes.
"In a big way, it also documents my perpetual activity as a touring
musician. This album is what my diary frequently looks like and it
portrays very much the fulfilment I experience playing with all of these
various people on a pretty consistent basis, in the many and various
musical worlds and situations that I do or have done. It's got my stamp
on it, but we all speak and tune in to basically the same common
language. Friendship binds it. Respect and harmony are also elements
that bind it. There is the fact that I know most of these gentlemen
extremely well and feel a deeply special closeness and bond with them as
individuals and musicians. That binds it in an ultimate way for me."
Tracks Listing
1. Leave 'Em On (4:32)
2. Bedford Falls (3:20)
3. Between the Sheets of Music (3:32)
4. Yesternow - Preview (0:57)
5. Afterglow (2:15)
6. Dreams in Blue (10:12)
7. Ternberg Jam (3:01)
8. Moon Song (4:32)
9. Swell (0:45)
10. The Maverick (4:53)
11. Boulevard Baloneyo (7:42)
12. Alverstone Jam (5:22)
Total Time: 51:03
Line-up / Musicians
- Allan Holdsworth / guitar (track 1,3,11)
- Jan Hammer / keyboards (track 1)
- Jimmy Johnson / bass (track 1,3,6,7,11)
- Gary Husband / drums, keyboards
- Laurence Cottle / bass (track 2,4,8)
- Jerry Goodman / violin
- Robin Trower / guitar (track 4)
- John McLaughlin / guitar (track 6)
- Steve Hacket / guitar (track 8)
- Steve Topping / guitar (track 10)
- Steve Price / bass (track 10)
- Mark King / bass (track 12)
