The steel pan, an amazing musical discovery born in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad & Tobago, is often associated with sandy beaches, tropical climates and cruise ships.
That’s not exactly what you get from the jazz-fusion quartet, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra. What you do get is a classically-trained composer turned steel pan maestro and front man, Jonathan Scales, heavily influenced by the complexity of banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck to the hustle of Jay-Z.
Born in San Francisco, CA and was raised in a military family, Jonathan grew up in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Germany. “I got into music at a young age like most people. My parents sang in the church choir and were always playing Gospel music and Michael Jackson around the house. My dad majored in music in college but went on to join the Army, so it was always in him, but he never had the opportunity to pursue it like I’m doing now. I started playing saxophone in 6th grade band and started trying to write music shortly thereafter.”
I asked Scales how he ended up in WNC? “I attended high school in Fayetteville, NC and only put in one college application – to Appalachian State University in Boone. Luckily I was accepted into the Music Composition & Theory program. Crazily enough, that’s where I first picked up the steel drums. After I graduated, I moved to Asheville at the suggestion of a musician that I’d played with regularly in Boone.”
The Fourchestra was born in the January of 2007. “I’d previously played in a few different groups, but really wanted a focused ensemble that could really work on my compositions. I really wanted to take the reins of my career into my own hands. I would say the vision is a common one in the music world – to perform my work for audiences around the world while simultaneously being able to make a living.”
“Scales is one of the most unique and inspiring musicians I have heard – you can hear a plethora of influences, ranging from classical counterpoint to Arabic music to Jazz fusion. The amazing thing about it all is how seamlessly he combines all these elements, while masterfully navigating a largely unexplored instrument.” Jason DeCristofaro (Jazz Vibraphonist/Composer)
Gritty blues guitarist Duane Simpson and flat pick fusion bassist Cody Wright provide the harmonic support for Scales’ sound, while jazz/hip-hop drummer Phill Bronson drives the time-shifting, modern grooves. It’s all a means of delivering Jonathan’s musically complex yet somehow accessible ideas to anyone willing to listen.
Jonathan has released three well received, full-length works. First was 2007’s “One-Track Mind”, then 2008’s “Plot/Scheme, which featured the likes of Jeff Coffin (of Dave Matthews Band), Joseph Wooten (Steve Miller Band), and Jeff Sipe (Aquarium Rescue Unit). Then 2011 ushered in “Character Farm & Other Short Stories”, a 45-minute dive deeper into nine compositionally-twisted, original instrumental “stories”. Guest appearances on the record include Coffin, Yonrico Scott and Kofi Burbridge of Derek Trucks Band fame, plus fiddle virtuoso Casey Driessen.
Scales’ versatility and innovative nature have allowed him to share the stage with acts like The Wooten Brothers Band, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, The Duhks, Everyone Orchestra, Toubab Krewe, Ben Sollee, Casey Dreissen, Del tha Funky Homosapien and Futureman.
Modern Drummer Magazine offers, “Jonathan Scales makes the pans fit in unconventional musical spaces.” Jazz Times states that Scales’ brings forth a “new vitality to the traditional Caribbean instrument… picking up where Othello Molineaux left off 20 years ago with Jaco Pastorius.” Scales has been called a “…rising star of the steel drums…” by Traps Magazine, while Pan on the Net refers to him as “the Real Deal” and having “A Thelonious Monk-like attitude with a Mozart creativity that works.” When Steel Talks sums it up with, “At the end of the day, Scales is going to be a major play in rewriting the books on steel pan music outside of the box.”
www.jonscales.com
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