Steinway Two Pianos Festival

Joachim Kühn & Gary Husband

Event Has Passed

Last Show: Saturday 23 rd March 2019

PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Steinway 2-piano Festival, PizzaExpress Jazz Club is delighted to present rare London club appearances by two world renowned jazz artists - German piano star Joachim Kühn and celebrated pianist-drummer Gary Husband. 

JOACHIM KÜHN

Pianist Joachim Kühn is one of the few global German jazz stars. With his playing style, which transcends all categories, he has made his mark as a world-class musician, and on contemporary jazz, blazing entirely new trails. The musical cosmopolitan Kühn sees himself in the tradition of jazz, and also in a close relationship with European concert music. But despite all this he is committed to a contemporary sound. He reveals vehemence and sensitivity, masterly craftsmanship and imagination, an unmistakable touch and an unerring sense of dynamics.

In the interplay with musical partners of many years' standing, in ever new and often unusually challenging constellations or on his own and his solo concerts, Joachim Kühn makes music an event. All his life Kühn has demonstrated curiosity, open-mindedness and a love of experimentation like few others. It was this intellectual flexibility that led the young East German classical pianist to jazz. After fleeing to the West in 1966, he quickly became one of the most important representatives of the jazz avant-garde in the scenes of Paris, Los Angeles, New York and Hamburg, constantly seeking encounters with the most diverse of musicians, from Michel Portal to Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp, Jean-François Jenny-Clark, Daniel Humair, Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker and Rabih-Abou Khalil and the Germans Heinz Sauer and Michael Wollny. In June 2011, Kühn was awarded the Echo Jazz for his extraordinary life's work.

 

GARY HUSBAND

Gary Husband is one of a rare breed of musicians in that his expression is divided equally in his capacity as a drummer and a keyboardist of international repute. His classical roots, his quest and development in the improvisational, jazz and jazz/fusion areas – not to mention his tenure in the pop, rock, funk and blues circuits – are all evident inside Gary’s distinct and far-reaching musical personality. His solo album and DVD output over the last several years has also reinforced his status as a critically acclaimed writer and arranger in the contemporary music world.

He released his first (all-synthesizer) album (‘Diary Of A Plastic Box’) in 1998 and from 1999 to 2002 he led his Gary Husband New Trio (featuring bassist Mick Hutton and drummer Gene Calderazzo) recording two albums with the group. In the summer of 2003 Gary was awarded a highly coveted place on the Arts Council of England’s Contemporary Music Network touring scheme to lead a hand-picked ensemble for a concert tour across the UK in March 2004. This project, entitled Gary Husband’s Force Majeure, (featuring Randy Brecker, Matthew Garrison, Jim Beard, Elliot Mason, Jerry Goodman and Arto Tuncboyaciyan) was so successful that it returned to the UK in March 2005 for a further series of concerts including a sell-out week’s residency at Ronnie Scott’s Club, London. Among his several ambitious solo piano recordings is the highly-acclaimed ‘A Meeting Of Spirits – Interpretations Of The Music of John McLaughlin’ – an innovative and passionate portrayal of some of the guitarist’s most famous music. His recent group project (Gary Husband’s Drive) released the album ‘Hotwired’ in 2009.

Gary continues to devote a substantial portion of his time to other artists’ projects, new collaborations, educational programmes and drum clinics. His typically diverse range of associations and credits include projects with artists such as Allan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin, Jack Bruce, Billy Cobham, Mike Stern, British pop/funk band Level 42, Gary Moore, Robin Trower, fusion / jam band Gongzilla, Christof Lauer Trio (with Michel Godard), Germany’s NDR Big Band, HR Big Band and others. He has also performed with Jeff Beck, Chris Squire, Al Jarreau, Maria Schneider, Geoffrey Keezer & Christian McBride, Eddie Van Halen, Bob Berg, Joe Lovano, Aydin Esen, Andy Summers, Peter Erskine, Ron Sexsmith, Wayne Krantz, Olga Konkova, Dennis Chambers, Vinnie Colaiuta, Simon Phillips, Omar Hakim, Michael Gibbs, Steve Hackett and drum n’ bass protagonists Lemon ‘D’ and Dillinger.

He is currently keyboardist & second drummer in John McLaughlin’s 4th Dimension, and is in the midst of recording work for his next album project (‘Dirty & Beautiful’) which features many special guest instrumentalists.

 

Photos: Joachim Kühn by Steven Haberland / Gary Husband by Simon Horswell