Benito Gonzales Archive

Benito Gonzalez, Gerry Gibbs and Essiet Okon Essiet – Passion Reverence Transcendence: The Music of McCoy Tyner — Whaling City Sound 

by Audiophile Audition | Jun 14, 2018 | Jazz CD Reviews

A charismatic Tyner tribute. Benito Gonzalez, Gerry Gibbs and Essiet Okon Essiet – Passion Reverence Transcendence: The Music of McCoy Tyner [TrackList follows] – Whaling City Sound [dist. by NAXOS] WCS 102, 77:32 [4/27/18] ****: (Benito Gonzalez – acoustic piano; Gerry Gibbs – producer, drums, percussion, conga drums, harp, mini-Moog, vibraphone, marimba, kalimba, balifons, glockenspiel, electronic effects, voices, wood flutes, quica; Essiet Okon Essiet – acoustic and electric bass) There are jazz artists who create magic which inspires other musicians. Pianist and composer McCoy Tyner is one of those artists. His presence looms through the 77-minute, 13-track Passion Reverence Transcendence: The Music of McCoy Tyner. Venezuelan pianist Benito Gonzalez (who has recorded with Ron Blake, Azar Lawrence and Christian McBride); percussionist/drummer Gerry Gibbs (his résumé includes Tyner, Stanley Clarke, Alice Coltrane and others); and bassist Essiet Okon Essiet (he has performed or recorded with Kenny Barron, Kurt Elling, Kenny Garrett and more) offer a testament to Tyner’s legacy with nine pieces penned by Tyner; three trio originals; and a John Coltrane tune. Gonzalez, Gibbs and Essiet are not shy about their adoration for Tyner. In the CD liner notes Gonzalez admits, “I listened to [Tyner] every day because I loved […]