Benito Gonzalez - Passion Reverence Transcendence: the music of McCoy Tyner

The title says it all. Pianist Benito Gonzalez, drummer Gerry Gibbs and bassist Essiet Okon Essiet assemble to tackle the music of McCoy Tyner.

The result is a beautifully played, unequivocal triumph of sound and spirit. The trio, Gonzalez, Gibbs and Essiet, have a blast with this material. Gibbs charges into it with brawn, while Gonzalez interprets Tyner aggressively, passionately, with modern flourishes and a driving style.

Essiet is intriguing to say the least, in a support role, diving into a blend of traditional, contemporary and fusion lines that push the arrangements into some truly dazzling areas. It is all ridiculously high energy. Gonzalez takes control on the rapturous "Naima"; Gibbs and Essiet drive the opening tunes, "Fly With the Wind" and the subsequent track, "Just Feelin'."

Together, the trio embraces the elan, the spirit of Tyner, without succumbing to cliches. The material sings, thanks to the high energy performances you'd expect from each of these musicians. They've proven themselves on their independent projects, and they prove themselves as a trio on Passion Reverence Transcendence.