Gary Husband: Difference between revisions
From Allan Holdsworth Information Center
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We all went to the States at the same time to take I.O.U. there, only he just never came back. This was for the best for him back then, there’s no doubt there. | We all went to the States at the same time to take I.O.U. there, only he just never came back. This was for the best for him back then, there’s no doubt there. | ||
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/gary-husband-there-were-these-three-yorkshiremen-gary-husband-by-ian-patterson.php?id=31854&pg=5 | |||
AAJ: I hear this from a lot of musicians, that they feel that the music comes through them, as though they are some kind of portal. Let's talk about Allan Holdsworth. He's undoubtedly one of the most influential guitarists ever—I mean everyone talks about I.O.U. In what way has he inspired your music-making? | |||
GH: He's been such a predominant figure in my own development for sure, as he actually was the first one to hire me and let me really play and not try and change it all. Back in the old days, I was a little bit on the intense side for most people's tastes as a drummer. I was always into something with a lot of reach and fire, and he was the first one who said, "Bring it on, go for it." And he really loves that from a drummer—a very improvisational input and participation. | |||
He doesn't like rigidity, and in that respect I felt I'd found a place where I could reach a lot with someone. I wonder sometimes if it isn't very close to what Elvin felt like with John Coltrane, or Tony Williams with Miles. | |||
At that time it was perfect for me—a very big stepping stone insofar as how my development was about to take shape. And there is no question that a lot of significant movement was arising as a direct result of the musical relationship with Allan. I also always felt very naturally his (quite uncommon) way and just understood it immediately. That's another thing. Very much as if we were brothers or something. Peculiar. | |||
https://peters-principles.com/2018/05/14/10-questions-with-gary-husband/ | |||
You have said Allan Holdsworth once told you to “be yourself “. In retrospect, did absorbing that truly allow you to express yourself, or could it have subconsciously made you strive to be different from your peers? | |||
Allan really was the first one to come along and not put any pressure on me whatsoever to try and sound like somebody else. And this was so momentous a happening at that time. I was playing with a much more “American drummer” exuberance back in London in my teenage years. I hope I still do! But I was definitely forming in a way that wasn’t the norm by any means in 1978, and certainly wasn’t to everyone’s taste! And I could so bring to light the way I was forming with somebody such as Allan. The fact that it happened, and that we met when we did, was absolutely miraculous timing. But in another way, I kind of feel it was meant to be. That’s why I feel so blessed. | |||
https://www.hit-channel.com/gary-husband-solojohn-mclaughlinallan-holdsworthbilly-cobham/2643 | |||
Do you think your career would be different if you hadn’t met Allan Holdsworth at so young age? | |||
Oh, sure. Because this forged in such a big way the way I play today. A most significant wealth of development stemmed from the early years with him since he was really the first one who let me be free. Before I met Allan, I was playing in a number of different bands. In one I would be asked to try and sound like Steve Gadd, in another like Elvin Jones. Even though the music was jazz, musical, fusion, they still wanted me to be in a certain way, and quite rigid with it, but Allan was the first one who said to me “Listen, just play how you want to play and bring to the music what you feel”. He was the first one that asked me not only to play the drums – he asked me for my imagination too. So, yes, he was especially important to me. | |||
Do you remember that night at Roxy in L.A when Eddie Van Halen and Jeff Berlin joined you and Allan Holdsworth on stage? | |||
Yes, I do (laughs). These were wild times. This is 1982 you’re talking about . We were just very happy because when we started that band in 1979 here, it was very difficult for anything happens for us. It was such difficult to get work. Because Allan had played in America with Soft Machine, U.K and Tony Williams, I lot of people knew that he was doing something new and it was very easy for us to go there and work, which at the time was an incredibly exciting thing for all of us. Especially for me. But, here Allan was in that country doing his own band, a lot of people were coming out and showing their appreciation. One of them, a big fan, was Eddie Van Halen, who loved Allan’s playing. At the time, I think we were trying to get a new record contract, so Eddie helped Allan out by giving him visibility and playing live with him onstage, which was great. I don’t remember actually which songs we played, but I remember the feeling, it was very nice. | |||
Check out https://talking2musicians.com/2013/11/12/gary-husband-interview-notes/ | |||
https://web.archive.org/web/20110106205908/https://www.oregonmusicnews.com/blog/2010/12/03/gary-husband-drummer-and-keyboardist-for-john-mclaughlin-the-essential-interview/ | |||
How did you meet Allan Holdsworth and get an invitation to join his band IOU? What was it like for you as a drummer to record on a barge? How did you work together with Paul Carmichael to flesh out the rhythmic ideas for Allan’s pieces? | |||
I met Allan by chance while working at Ronnie Scott’s club with Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia group. It was around ’78. I’d actually been fired, and was playing my last gigs with her. Allan at that point was working on a three-piece band idea with drummer Jon Hiseman, (Barbara’s husband) together with Jack Bruce. One evening, Allan and Jack both came into the club, and I met them both. Allan was saying how much he had enjoyed my playing and asked if I’d be into the idea of having a jam with him. We did that and were immediately most comfortable together; it just clicked. Anyway, the story goes that Jon replaced me in Barbara’s band, and I took up with Allan! We just swapped places! It was a great thing to happen for me around then. It represented me starting to find my own voice with the drums, since Allan was really the first one to set me really free and play how I wanted to play in his music. And I was extremely comfortable in his music – always have been. So there it is; that was the beginning. | |||
[[Category:Musicians]] | [[Category:Musicians]] | ||
