Béla Fleck’s BEATrio Preview Debut Album

In 2024, Béla Fleck founded the BEATrio, which set the genre-bending banjo master alongside harpist Edmar Castañeda and drummer Antonio Sánchez for a six-night residency at Blue Note New York. Today, he’s returned to herald the celebrated group’s self-titled debut album, set to release on May 16 via his Béla Fleck Productions imprint on Thirty Tigers. To preview the unexpected arrangement’s studio premiere, the trio has shared the lead single “Archipelago.”

“This project kind of reminds me of the early days of the Flecktones, when audiences would go, ‘How is this supposed to work?’” Béla Fleck remarked of the bold configuration in a release. “We were hanging on for dear life. Things were going right, things were going wrong — everything was happening.”  

The group is just as excitingly unpredictable on “Archipelago,” with each instrumentalist weaving gracefully through their collaborators’ elaborate, precise lines to cultivate a dynamic atmosphere. Sánchez provides a fleet-footed rhythmic counterpoint to the string interplay from Castañeda and Fleck that recombines Afro-Caribbean and Americana influences into a hypnotic original style. Who knew banjo and harp could sound like this?

“After playing a duo concert with Edmar, it became clear that we needed to write together, in order to accommodate the needs of harp and banjo,” Fleck detailed. “This is our first attempt—sometimes you get lucky, before you think too much about it!”

“Each night felt like an adventure, and it was special to see the audience experience the music’s evolution, Castañeda said of the Blue Note series. “I play the groove with my left hand with Antonio, while at the same time I play melodies and harmonies with my right hand and with Béla — a very fun challenge that makes a unique and powerful trio.” According to Sánchez, the harpist is “the glue between the banjo and the drums… he functions as the harmony and the bass.”

BEATrio is available to pre-order now. Stream “Archipelago” on all streaming platforms, and visit belafleck.com for more information on the project.

from https://relix.com