Born in Venezuela and based in New York City, jazz pianist
Benito Gonzalez has amassed quite a resumé in his years on the scene. The 44-year-old has stints with heavyweights like
Jackie McLean,
Kenny Garrett and
Azar Lawrence under his belt, and today acts as pianist and musical director for spiritual jazz pioneer
Pharoah Sanders. He also has half a dozen albums as a leader, of which
Sing to the World is the latest.
Gonzalez doesn’t waste any time getting to the point, opening the record with the perfect storm of “Sounds of Freedom.” The rhythm section swings hard and Gonzalez ripples his way across his keyboard, using his prodigious technique (derived from studying monster keysmen like McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett) to convey his melodic ideas, rather than show off. Tunes like “Visionary,” “Flatbush Avenue” and the title track follow suit, with breathless energy and deft maneuvers that let all of the musicians (particularly b