FUSION-GEMINI GARY HUSBAND TOURING IN USA - SUMMER 2003

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 11, 2003 - The Brit-Hot, 'Double - Visionary' (aka world class drummer and keyboardist) Gary Husband is crossing the pond, June 27nd to July 2nd 2003, to commence an album promotion tour on the Eastern seaboard with international Jazz-Rock fusion unit, GONGZILLA. 'The East Village Sessions,' Husband's second album as drummer with GONGZILLA, has recently been released on Lolo Records. Audiences can expect the live gigs to reflect the energetic impact and awesome creativity of this latest recording and GONGZILLA's sizzling interaction on stage will also be captured on film for a subsequent DVD documentary of their whirlwind tour.

GONGZILLA's east coast itinerary is to be a short and intense one. Husband is currently immersed in writing for another electrifying ensemble, this time of his own formation which he will be touring with next year. Awarded a coveted Contemporary Music Network endowment from the English Arts Council, Husband's groundbreaking project, aptly named 'FORCE MAJEURE,' consists of a killer line-up that will team trumpet legend Randy Brecker, with Mahavishnu's Jerry Goodman on violin, Elliot Mason on trombone, Zawinul Syndicate virtuosos Matthew Garrison on bass and Arto Tuncboyaciyan on percussion, as well as keyboard leading-light Jim Beard. Husband's vision for the project is to present compelling adaptations of music by Burt Bacharach, Bjork and John McLaughlin alongside original compositions, and his imaginative instumentation will provide audiences with a dynamic and eclectic palate of stimulating sound, created by some of the most mind-blowing names in Jazz today.

"This tour with Gongzilla celebrates my second recording with the band ", commented Husband, "but it's the first opportunity to play actual live dates which is very exciting. They are great players, great friends and the music is strong, spirited and passionate - providing the drummer with a lot of room to really play expressively and dynamically inside of it. I am in the midst of a lot of preparation and writing for 'Force Majeure but I'm always thrilled at the prospect of returning to America - in particular to perform there."

Husband's inimitable style will be a powerful backbone for Gongzilla's tour and fans would be wise to check out www.garyhusband.com and www.lolorecords.com for more information on the tour and album.

About Gary Husband
It was Charles Mingus who said that jazz was the sound of surprise and Husband is the epitome of spontaneous creativity. His genius, equally divided in dedication to both drums and keyboards is not a contrived attempt to be controversial, but is truly representative of his phenomenal musicianship and holistic approach to self expression, on both rhythmic and harmonic platforms.

The diversity of Husbands output also sets him truly apart. Alongside providing driving blues drumming for (guitarist) Gary Moore, and being a featured member of chart-topping Brit pop/funksters Level 42, his many noteworthy sideman credits have included regular international spells, touring and recording with artists including Randy Brecker's Quintet (co-led with the late Bob Berg), jazz piano great Geoff Keezer, bass giant Christian McBride, the extraordinary Russian jazz pianist Olga Konkova and ex-POLICE guitarist Andy Summers. His regular involvement since 1993 with Billy Cobham as well as his now legendary partnership with the revolutionary guitarist Allan Holdsworth remain two of Husband's longest standing associations. Fans of the virtuoso Holdsworth will know that Husband was the featured 20-year-old drummer who blazed into prominence with his exhilarating performances both on the legendary debut album "Allan Holdsworth I.O.U." but also appearing frequently in concert, touring the USA with the maestro throughout the 80's and 90's. Followers of the group CREAM, one of the fusion movement's original catalysts, may have also caught Husband catapulting (bassist) Jack Bruce's powerful 3-piece group performing in New York in the early 90's.

In parallel however, Husband's keyboard and writing career ranks equally and this has been widely recognized. The fact that he was a finalist in the prestigious Leeds Piano Competition as a budding young concert pianist serves to quantify this awesome dual talent to anyone in doubt! Followers of early 70's fusion couldn't have failed to notice Gary taking up Jan Hammer's keyboard position in Billy Cobham's "Spectrum 20th Anniversary" group's appearances at BB King's last year. His acclaimed solo piano release "The Things I See", that reworked the compositions of his former leader Allan Holdsworth, solicited praise from legends John McLaughlin - "it's been a long time since I heard a new kind of album - this is one of those" and Cobham himself, who also described Husband as "one of the best kept secrets in music!" This is accentuated by the fact that Husband is also the only drummer ever to be featured in a "2nd drum soloist" role in the midst of Billy Cobham's touring and recording career to date!

It was through his own trio, (the genre-busting "New" Trio, featuring Mick Hutton & New York drummer Gene Calderazzo) that Husband began to establish himself as a writer, arranger and leader in his own right. The group released their debut CD in 1999, ("From The Heart") to rave reviews, and Husband will release a second CD of trio material, ("Gary Husband & Friends - Aspire"), later this summer. Husband is also working on a sequel piano interpretations album focusing on the music of John McLaughlin, as well as a compilation of material for a debut drum album, (to be entitled "Flesh To Wood") and the formation of a brand new five-piece group with key UK musicians to include Iain Ballamy, Gareth Williams, Chris Batchelor, with himself featured as drummer. Husband has recently joined the prestigious roster of DW drum endorsers and continues to play Zildjian cymbals and drumsticks exclusively.

Gongzilla - U.S. Dates:
June 27 (Friday) - Arlington, Massachusetts Regent Theatre www.regenttheatre.com
(This show will be filmed for an upcoming Gongzilla DVD produced by EscapeTV www.escapetv.tv
June 30 (Monday) - Philadelphia, PA North Star Bar www.northstarbar.com
July 1 (Tuesday) - Trenton, NJ Conduit www.conduitmusic.com/mainhome.html
July 2 (Wednesday) - New York City, NY The Bottom Line www.bottomlinecabaret.com