Essiet Okon Essiet first received critical acclaim more than a decade ago as a member of saxophonist Bobby Watson’s post hard bop group Horizon He has long since established himself as one of New York’s premier bassist. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, his parents having moved there from Nigeria, West Africa, the family later moved to Wisconsin where Essiet began his musical studies at age 10 on the violin. Four years, later he switched to the bass. As a child, and into his teens, his family moved often. His father worked for the US, as well as the Nigerian government, and his job took the family to many places including Europe, Africa and various cities in the US. His family finally settled in Portland, Oregon where he began studying jazz at the age of 14. Having traveled widely as a youngster with his family, he had an easy time adjusting to life on the road once he turned professional. More importantly, his early exposure to many cultures, languages, folkways and religions, fostered his world view of strength through diversity. “Some musicians are purist” says Essiet, “but I like to mix styles. I like many different types of cultures”.

His first big break came in 1982 when he met Chicago based percussionist Famoudou Don Moye, a founding member of such important collectives as the Art Ensemble of Chicago and The Leaders. Moye asked Essiet to join his quartet and during that same year the bassist met Abdullah Ibrahim, the famed South African pianist. Working with Ibrahim, Essiet toured the globe splitting his time between Europe and the US during the period from 1982 to 1986. Eventually Essiet settled in NYC. Two years later, he joined Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and remained in the group until the famed drummer/teacher’s passing in 1990. During the next decade, the bassist began what has proven to be a significant freelance career.

He has performed and recorded with such notables as Benny Golson, Johnny Griffin, James Moody, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Cedar Walton, Sam Rivers, George Adams, Pat Martino, Kenny Burrell, Jackie McLean, Frank Morgan, Kenny Barron, Louis Hayes, Ben Riley, Jimmy Cobb, Billy Higgins, Billy Hart, Art Farmer, Abby Lincoln, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Billy Cobham, Bennie Maupin, Al Foster, Eddie Henderson, Steve Turre, Jon Faddis, Bobby Watson, Victor Lewis, Kenny Garrett, Kenny Kirkland, Mulgrew Miller, Jeff “Tain ” Watts, Mike Stern, Kevin Mahogany, Kurt Elling, Fort Apache Band, Danilo Perez, Claudia Acuna, Geri Allen, and Ralph Peterson to highlight only a partial list.

In 1997, he was asked to join an incarnation of the Blue Note Allstars which included Greg Osby, Javon Jackson, Tim Hagens, Kevin Hays, and Bill Stewart. The Blue Note Allstars embarked on a number of tours including Canadian Festivals, US tours, Europe and Japan. In 2000 he joined Danilo Perez’s Motherland project for 2 years touring the US, Europe and Central America.

Currently, Essiet leads his own group called “IBO” named after a Nigerian tribe. It is a Nigerian jazz project which mixes jazz harmonies with West African rhythms.

Ben Williams’ artistry continues to blossom, wondrously. Ever since hitting the international jazz scene in the late-aughts as a bassist for the likes of vibraphonist Stefon Harris, pianist Jacky Terrasson, and saxophonist Marcus Strickland, Williams has made ineradicable footprints in the expansive music world as top-tier sideman; commanding solo-artist, composer, and bandleader; and more recently as an increasingly sought-after producer.

The greater jazz world first took notice of Williams’ superb command of the bass in 2009 when he won the 2009 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Bass Competition. In addition to receiving $20,000 toward college-level music scholarship, Williams won a recording contract with Concord Records with which he recorded his first two solo albums – State of the Art (2011) and Coming of Age (2015). Williams’ first two albums exemplified the crackling energy of 21st century straight-ahead jazz as musicians of his generation continued incorporating modern soul, alternative pop, and subtle shades of hip-hop into a post-bop framework. His debut album received a 4 ½ star review in Down Beat magazine and reached #1 on the iTunes and Billboard charts. In 2011 iTunes named him “breakthrough artist of the year” in the jazz category.

He was also featured in Concord Records’ all-star ensemble, Next Collective on its 2013 album, Cover Art. That combo showcased Williams anchoring an incredible combo that included guitarist Matthew Stevens, drummer Jamire Williams, trumpeter Christian aTunde Adjuah, pianists Kris Bowers and Gerald Clayton; and saxophonists Logan Richardson and Water Smith III. Cover Art illustrated the ensemble’s affinity for music outside the traditional jazz canon as it delivered imaginative makeovers of tunes by D’Angelo, Pearl Jam, Stereolab, Little Dragon, Drake, Kayne West, Bon Iver, Meshell Ndgeocello, Jay Z., Dido, and N*E*R*D.

For the remainder of the decade, Williams’ career ascended as an in-demand bassist. He recorded and toured with a litany of titans that include guitarists Pat Metheny and George Benson; singers Dianne Reeves, Carmen Lundy, Jazzmeia Horn, Lauryn Hill, Maxwell, and José James; saxophonists David Sanborn, Dick Oatts, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, and Sadao Watanabe; and pianists Robert Glasper and Eric Reed; trumpeters Wynton Marsalis and Nicholas Payton, and violinist Regina Carter.

In 2013, Williams won a Grammy with Pat Metheny’s Unity Band for “Best Jazz Instrumental Album,” in 2017, he received a “Congressional Jazz Innovator Award” from the late Congressman John Conyers, and in Down Beat magazine’s Critics Poll, he was named “Rising Star Bassist” in 2013 and 2015.

On Williams’ 2020 third album, I Am a Man (Rainbow Blonde), he revealed tremendous growth as an exploratory, socio-political artist. He shifted his focus from straight-ahead jazz to 21st century R&B as he led a cast of scintillating artists that included trumpeter Keyon Harrold, singer Kendra Foster, flutist Anne Drummond, and drummer Justin Brown. Williams also showcased his vocal chops and songwriter gifts on such engrossing songs such as “March On,” “Take It Home” and “Promised Land.” Two years after that album’s release, Down Beat magazine’s Critics’ Poll listed Williams as “Rising Star Vocalist.”

Williams’ love for sophisticated modern R&B revealed itself again with his latest product, Butterfly Black, a charismatic duo with singer and songwriter Syndee Winters. Together Williams and Winters extended the rich R&B legacy of male-female duo acts such as Ike & Tina Turner, Ashford & Simpson, René & Angela, Peaches & Herb, and Yarborough & Peoples. Butterfly Black has released a few intoxicating singles – “I Just Want to Love You,” “Lifetime,” and “Reaction.” The duo plans on releasing its debut EP in spring of 2023.

Williams is also producing albums for other emerging artists such as singer Jackie “Bouvier” Copeland, and pianist and composer Farren Mahjoor. Williams that his stints as a sideman bassist for so many artists gives him an advantage as producer.

As Williams advances as a producer, he says it’s like “learning music again.” “I’m developing a brand new relationship with music,” he explains. “Being a producer makes me enjoy music more, because I get to enjoy it from so many different perspectives. My career now feels like there’s more of a balance of those perspectives. For instance, when I play bass, I think like a composer. But when I’m producing music, I think like a bassist.”

Williams grew up in Washington, D.C., a city with a rich music legacy that stretches from gospel jazz, R&B, go-go and hip-hop to punk and alternative rock. The city has a history of producing music game-changers such as Duke Ellington, Chuck Brown, Marvin Gaye, Shirley Horn, Roberta Flack, Bad Brains, Meshell Ndgeocello, Wale, and Oddisee. Undoubtedly, Williams has earned the worldwide acclaim to be listed among those icons.

After graduating from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Williams studied with bassist Rodney Whitaker, while attending Michigan State University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in jazz music at Julliard. Williams lived in New York for 14 years, developing his reputation as a versatile and virtuosic bassist.

In 2021, he relocated to Los Angeles, a city that he says gives him more space to focus on his art. Now more than 10 years since he dropped his debut album, Williams says he can listen to early music with refreshened ears.

“I’ve just come to that point of revisiting my early albums,” Williams says. “It now feels safe to look back. Moving forward has always been important to me. I always want to make sure that I’m progressing and not standing still artistically. You can’t run forward and constantly be looking backwards at the same time. But I think I’m far away from those early albums, where I can listen to them now and appreciate where I was artistically then. Sometimes, I can even be inspired by my earlier albums.”

In addition to continuously evolving as multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer, and producer, Williams is working on a bio documentary on life that will touch upon how the roles of the church, social activism, politics, and his supportive family impacts his professional and personal life.