Bela Fleck, Edmar Castaneda & Antonio Sanchez BEATrio LP (Red Eco-Mix Vinyl)

TAS Rated 5/5 Music, 4.5/5 Sonics in the Fall 2025 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Banjo. Drums. Harp. Huh? To be sure, the new all-star trio of Béla Fleck, harpist Edmar Castañeda and drummer Antonio Sánchez features instrumentation that might safely be called uncommon. Unless, of course, you're already familiar with 19-time Grammy® winner Fleck — the genre-blurring virtuoso who has done more to expand the possibilities of the banjo than any other player in the instrument's history. From his bluegrass beginnings through his otherworldly Flecktones, his duo with Chick Corea and his reimagining of Rhapsody in Blue, Fleck's work never fails to surprise.

What doesn't surprise is the impeccable caliber of his collaborators — and this new trio includes two of the most gifted musicians of their generation. The harpist, Casteñada, hails from Bogotá, Colombia, and has led his own bands in addition to sharing projects with such masters as Hiromi, Paquito D'Rivera and Grégoire Maret. 5-time Grammy® winner Sánchez grew up in Mexico City and built a reputation as one of the great jazz drummers through his work with guitarist Pat Metheny. He's also been a visionary bandleader, helming progressive groups like Bad Hombre, and collaborated with Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Charlie Haden, Michael Brecker and other giants. His Golden Globe nominated drum-set score for Alejandro González Iñárritu's 2014 film Birdman earned him renown far outside the jazz world.

Playing original repertoire, much of it collaboratively written, this trio embarks nightly on fearless explorations that audiences will find irresistible — rich with strong melodies, gorgeous harmony and grooves that twist and turn while feeling fantastic.

Fleck's spirit and taste are mercurial. The group on BEATrio is easily one of the finest bands he's played in. Let's hope this isn't a one-off.

the level of talent is never less than jaw-dropping