BEATrio (2025), by Bela Fleck, Edmar Castaneda, Antonio Sanchez

I’m not a fan of the banjo, and I’m even less of a fan of the harp, but these completely disparate instruments are two of the three unlikely ingredients – including drums and percussion – that make up this thoroughly engrossing and immersive album that sounds nothing like typical, traditional banjo or harp music.

The trio consists of banjo player extraordinaire Bela Fleck, harpist Edmar Castaneda, and drummer/percussionist Antonio Sanchez.

 

Fleck, of course, is an internationally renowned multiple Grammy Award nominee and winner and the leader of the jazz/world/new age fusion super group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Fleck is to the banjo what Andy Summers and Pat Metheny are to the guitar.

 

The harp sounds like a harp, but Castaneda plays it like I’ve never heard it played before, unleashing a dynamic range of tones and a lot of bouncy and snappy rhythms.

 

And longtime Pat Metheny collaborator Sanchez brings it all together with kinetic drums and percussion that keep everything moving.

 

I’m not sure if BEATrio is just the name of the album, the name of the group, or both, but one thing I know for certain is that this is one of the tightest, most energetic, and most exhilarating fusion bands on record.

 

--Raj Manoharan

Standards from film (2022), by Mike Moreno

While I’m not enough of a connoisseur of classic film to get the audio clip references as well as be familiar with the songs themselves, what I do know is that acclaimed and accomplished jazz guitarist Mike Moreno has definitely tapped into a vibe that is classic and vintage and classy and elegant. The result is one of his strongest sets yet.

 

Moreno’s earlier releases in the late 2000s and 2010s already demonstrated his technical proficiency on the fret board, and this album continues to evidence a steady hand and assured confidence in his playing and phrasing, presenting him as the venerable jazz guitar master that he most certainly is now. He is definitely on the level of guitar greats such as Andy Summers and Pat Metheny.

 

Moreno is supported by an equally talented group of amazing and wondrous musicians. Sullivan Fortner conjures rapturous swirls on piano, Matt Brewer anchors deep grooves and rhythms on bass, and Obed Calvaire keeps the beat palpable with floating drums and percussion. They absolutely contribute both individually and collectively to the overall atmosphere of this session. This is one of Moreno’s best bands on record.

 

The art of jazz guitar is alive and well in the highly capable hands of Mike Moreno.

 

--Raj Manoharan

Lotus Dream (2025), by Shambhu

Shambhu’s tenth album finds the guitarist doing what he does best – soothing listeners’ souls with gentle and peaceful acoustic guitar compositions that center them in their inner selves and take them to another level of sensory enlightenment.

However, Shambhu goes a bit further than usual, bringing a lot of piano as well as electric guitar into the mix, along with bass and synthesizers.

 

The result is an album that goes into Andy Summers, Pat Metheny, and Eric Johnson territory, all the while retaining Shambhu’s unique sensibilities.

 

Shambhu plays all the instruments on the album, with the exception of “Resilience,” which features electric and Nashville guitars by jazz guitarist Leo Steinriede.

 

The combination of acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards and synthesizers truly results in a sonic utopia of dreamy luminescence and transcendent bliss.

 

This is one of the best albums of its kind.

 

--Raj Manoharan