Gary Husband
Gary Husband NEW Trio, Feb 2000.



GARY HUSBAND NEW TRIO
Bonington Theatre, High Street, Arnold, Nottingham, UK. 10th February 2000
By Alan Joyce


Like current weather patterns Gary Husband's piano playing was bright and breezy with the occasional stormy passage, however not with the same devastation as his last visit to the Bonington, when, as a drummer, he almost wrecked his kit.
Gary's intense, high energy performance on Thursday, exhibited his rapid-fire technique on the Bonington's Steinway and two synthesisers . . . on some numbers he darted around playing all three instruments! Nevertheless he proved a consummate and dedicated musician playing his own exciting, absorbing compositions and heavily disguised standards. Accompanying Gary were bassist Mick Hutton, whose huge disciplined hands, were a joy to watch as he followed his leader through some particularly formidable arrangements. He soloed with power and authority coupled with unerring accuracy all evening. Playing drums was New Yorker Gene Calderazzo, whose rapport with the other two musicians was almost uncanny. He too was a spectacular soloist and impeccable timekeeper.
Gary, with the aid of the synthesisers and the piano was able to produce a multitude of sounds, effects and textures. Cole Porter's "I Concentrate On You" was skilfully merged with the Dave Brubeck classic "Take Five" featuring electrifying runs on piano and his Korg synth.
An original "Le Coco" highlighted Gary's restless style, while a ballad "If I Should Lose You" found him in a more tranquil mood. Following Gary's intricate intro to Jerome Kern's "Just The Way You Look Tonight" Mick Hutton answered with great sensitivity on the higher register of his bass.
The indefatigable Mr. Husband never flagged in the second set . . . reaching new heights in an up-tempo version of "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" but less hectic and more intense on his own composition "Not Even The Rain".
"Three Lies" was an amalgam of tunes and styles; familiar snatches of jazz classics and popular songs could be detected, but you had to be quick as the trio mixed sounds, moods and effects at lighting speed."