BÉLA FLECK / EDMAR CASTAÑEDA / ANTÓNIO SÁNCHEZ “BEATrio”

ARTIST

Béla Fleck / Edmar Castaneda / Antonio Sanchez

ALBUM TITLE

“BEATrio”

LABEL

Thirty Tigers

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Fleck’s name will be familiar to jazz audiences, particularly for his collaborations with Chick Corea. Together, the late Italian-American pianist and the banjoist recorded three albums: Enchantment (Concord, 2007), Two (Stretch, 2015), and finally Remembrance, released posthumously on Thirty Tigers in 2024. Now Fleck returns to the same label with BEATrio, whose title derives from the initials of the three group members: Béla, Edmar, and Antonio. This shared authorship was first tested live at New York’s Blue Note in September 2024 before being captured in the studio.

Fleck is an intelligent and inquisitive artist – cultured, open-minded, and extraordinarily versatile. He is the musician who liberated the banjo from its subordinate role in American music, dismantling stylistic barriers throughout his career. Consider his best-known ensemble, the Flecktones, or TRIO! – the all-star project with Stanley Clarke and Jean-Luc Ponty. His trajectory also embraces classical repertoire (Perpetual Motion, 2001, with Edgar Meyer), contemporary composition, and world music. BEATrio belongs clearly to this latter sphere.

Despite the unusual instrumentation, the interplay among the three musicians is both natural and electrifying. Castañeda contributes a quintessentially Latin touch; Sánchez is a rhythmic powerhouse of inexhaustible imagination; and Fleck – who composed half the pieces – navigates with effortless poise across a kaleidoscope of idioms: country, blues, fusion, bluegrass, Caribbean music, and beyond, pulling his partners into unexplored sonic terrain.

With the exception of “Whispers of Resilience” and “Coda,” most of the tracks unfold at a relentless pace. The remarkable thing is that, despite the trio’s dazzling virtuosity, they never indulge in sterile display – their focus remains steadfastly on the music itself. And the music, simply put, is outstanding.

– Ivo Franchi

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