As We Speak (2023)

"Banjo master Béla Fleck and upright bassist/composer Edgar Meyer have been collaborators since 1982. They have toured together and have often appeared on one another's recordings. In 2006, they met Shakti co-founder and tabla master Zakir Hussain. The trio recorded 2009's Grammy-nominated "The Melody Of Rhythm" with Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. While touring India in support, they encountered bansuri flutist Rakesh Chaurasia. He joined the trio on-stage, and their collective chemistry resulted in a plan for future collaboration. It took almost a decade-and-a-half, but As We Speak is the long-anticipated result. The 12-track set ranges musically. Single "Owl's Misfortune" offers each musician's core style, though the approach is multivalent, moving through classical counterpoint, raga, roots, bluegrass, or jazz improv. The album follows a more holistic path, approaching the music like an ensemble with soloists rather than the opposite." (Allmusic; 4 uit 5 sterren)