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.
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