Who: Benito Gonzalez Trio
Where: Frankie’s Jazz Club
When: February 28 & 29, 2020 at 8pm.
How Much: $30
McCoy Tyner is considered one of the greatest jazz piano players to have ever lived.
And yet somehow he’s still criminally underrated.
Benito Gonzalez knows this, and he’s trying to fix it. He’s leading a trio featuring drummer Che Marshall and Vancouver’s own Paul Rushka on bass (subbing in for Essiet Essiet) into Frankie’s this weekend. He’s bringing a plethora of Tyner compositions along with him, some of which are featured on his latest album as a leader: Passion Reverence Transcendence.
On that album, Gonzales tackles Tyner’s considerable legacy as a composer and pianist, with a specific focus on Tyner’s ‘70s output, not to mention a gorgeous solo interpretation of John Coltrane’s Naima. The album features Essiet Essiet on bass and Gerry Gibbs on drums.
Gonzalez is in his 40s, but is still considered a bit of a “star on the rise” in jazz circles. After a high profile seven year stint with Kenny Garrett, he’s been working with musicians like Jeff “Tain” Watts, Christian McBride, and Ron Blake on a series of records that have gotten a lot of critical acclaim in recent years, and he’s developed a reputation as one of the most exciting jazz pianists to see live in New York these days.
It’s not often that you get to see a pianist with a rep like that covering one of the greatest of all time in an intimate jazz club, so I’d make sure you book your table now.
Tim Reinert is a Vancouver-based writer and broadcaster who worked in the music retail industry for over 15 years.
He is the current president of the board of directors of the Vancouver Improvised Arts Society, and has been emceeing various jazz and improvised music shows for Coastal Jazz and other organizations for 25 years. He also hosts the the weekly jazz internet show ‘The Infidels’, which can be found here every Monday afternoon.
