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Gary Husband — Postcards from the Past
(Moonjune MJR135, 2025, 2CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2026-02-21

Postcards from the Past Cover art

I suspect most of Expose’s regular readers will be familiar with Gary Husband. His work with Alan Holdsworth and John McLaughlin alone gives him a high profile, and there are so many more artists he’s worked with that it would take several pages to list them all. But he’s also been working as a leader of his own projects, and Postcards from the Past serves as a sampler and entry point to that work. But it doesn’t just feature representative tracks from his releases — it contains a wealth of material that’s never been available before, including demos, outtakes, and live recordings. With 23 tracks, it’s too much to go into every one, but it can all be summarized pretty succinctly. Gary Husband is supremely talented, both on drums and keyboards, and his musical range is impressive. You’ll get meditative improvisations with Steve Topping and Michael Modesir, funky excursions with Greame Blevins (alto sax) and Sam Burgess (bass), pieces recorded with Holdsworth’s band that didn’t make it onto albums, and even short vignettes where Husband plays acoustic guitar. There are a few tracks from albums by Husband’s bands Drive and Force Majeur which have appeared on albums, but they’re remastered here for even better sound. Some of these recordings date back to the late 70s, and it’s enlightening to see where this outstanding musician started out and just how far-ranging his interests lie. And the fact that there’s not a duff track in the lot is testament to his abilities and taste. And in spite of the wide range of sounds presented, Postcards from the Past is an enjoyable listening experience on its own.

Filed under: Archives, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Allan Holdsworth, Jerry Goodman, Randy Brecker, Gary Husband

More info
http://garyhusband.bandcamp.com/album/postcards-from-the-past

 

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