BEATrio

"Banjo, harp, drums…what the hell is that?" Those words, spoken by jazz drummer Antonio Sanchez at a concert played by himself, banjoist Bela Fleck, and harpist Edmar Castaneda, the men who made BEATrio, this international groups debut album. Fleck played with both men previously: He met the Mexican jazz drummer at a tribute to Hindustani percussionist Alla Rakha, and then they played together as a duo in Mexico opening for Dave Matthews. Fleck and the Colombian harpist played a duo in Riverside Park, and performed similarly at 2019s Big Ears Festival. After the jams with Sanchez offered real possibility, they reached out to Castaneda and formed a trio. The musicians wrote and improvised together, and in September 2024, they played a 12-night run at New York Citys Blue Note club in preparation for these sessions. BEATrio includes five compositions by the banjoist, two each by the drummer and the harpist, and two others co-written by Fleck and Castaneda. The harp is the bridge here -- he plays the bass and groove with Sanchez through a bass amp, and with his left, hes Flecks partner in harmony and melody. "Archipelago" was composed by the banjoist and the harpist. Castaneda introduces it before Sanchez rumbles in, followed by Fleck. It walks a drunken line between Latin jazz, blues, cumbia, and post-bop -- and the harpist takes a killer solo. On Flecks "Pellucidar," listeners can trace his career through its architecture. After a proggy, knotty trio vamp, the composer begins a solo that cuts across bluegrass, post-bop, chamber music, Latin, funk, and contemporary jazz. His complex double-string runs are breathtaking. Sanchezs breaks and textural shifts make time seem elastic. His "Kaleidoscopes" is a three-part dialogue wherein each musician offers different rhythmic and lyric components that engage dramatic group counterpoint amid complex melodics. The dialogue between harp and banjo keeps the drummer on his toes. Castanedas "Countryside" showcases Flecks bluegrass and jazz playing. The harpist handles the changes with pastoral grace and groove, framed by tom-tom and kick-drum rolls, accents, and fills. Fleck explores the harmony inside Castanedas harmonic flow and outside alongside the rhythm track. It swings. The harpists "Whispers of Resilience" is quietly cinematic. Ghostly utterances from harp and drums are offered as processional. Fleck joins, and the trio latch onto a melodic center and proceed to add drama and rhythm. Its nice to get a recording of Flecks "Walnut and Western," as hes been playing it live for years. Its a magical work of intricate lyricism, pastoral changes, and tight, shifting rhythms. The drummers "Three Is Not a Crowd" is a conversation that cuts across Latin funk and jazz, cumbia, post-bop, and collective improv. Its followed by Flecks lengthy "Hooligan Harbor," which provides room for various conversations in duos, solos, and deft trio interplay that embraces myriad jazz styles. Flecks spirit and taste are mercurial. The group on BEATrio is easily one of the finest bands hes played in. Lets hope this isnt a one-off. ~ Thom Jurek