Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
Asheville, North Carolina, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"Jonathan is a gifted musician and a very talented songwriter. The sky is the limit with him."
- None
"Refreshing originality with a plentitude of harmonic,
rhythmic ,melodic and spiritual depth." - None
"I have to admit that I don't listen to much steel drum music. Or any at all, if I'm being honest. So, I wasn't sure if I would be able to appreciate the self-produced labor of love from former Fayetteville resident Jonathan Scales. My fears were for naught. Learning to play the pans by emersion in the prestigious Steely pan Steel Band at Appalachian State seems to have paid off well for Scales. His album is an instrumental accomplishment of an impressive nature. The 10 tracks feature very talented musicians, one of the best being guitar player Doug Peach. Between his blistering solos and Scales floating through the melodies, it’s a jazzy turn of blues fusion that would find itself at home in any jam session lover's stereo. The whole album feels like just that - an extended jam session. Scales lists one of his biggest influences at Bela Fleck - a stupendous artist, who you should listen to if you are not familiar - an the influence is most clear".... - Kate Harding
"Do not be fooled by the restraining title of Jonathan Scales' debut release, or lulled into stereotyped visions of happy-time island music by his instrument (the steel pan drums). Jonathan Scales has a lot to say, and he says it eloquently. Although the disc opens with some relatively pat light-funk numbers, the remainder of this all-original set grows exponentially, encompassing modern jazz, two gorgeous solo pieces and even bluegrass-fusion, all riding high on Scales' joyously inventive drumming" - Forrest Dylan Bryant (JAZZ TIMES, JUNE 2007)
Super funky steel drummer Jonathan Scales will be pulling out all the stops when he hosts a CD release party for his new disc, One-Track Mind, at Flipside on Friday, January 12. Aside from his melodic meditations on the steel pans, the night will feature music from Scales-related bands including Character Farm, The Pan Situation and, to top it all off, a big jazz jam session. One-Track Mind will be available for a special CD release party price during the show. - Dave Brewer
Discography
"One-Track Mind" (Jan 2007)
"Plot/scheme" (May 2008)
"Character Farm & Other Short Stories" (April 2011
"Fourchestra" (in production)
Photos
Bio
The steel pan, an amazing musical discovery born in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad & Tobago, is often times associated with sandy beaches, tropical climates, and cruise ships: that's not exactly what you get at a show by the jazz/rock outfit, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra. Driftwood Magazine says "Scales is to steel pans .what Bela Fleck is to the banjoan über innovator." The group is said to have "a Thelonius Monk-like attitude with a Mozart creativity that works." (Pan on the Net)
Here you have, Jonathan Scales: a classically trained composer turned steel pan maestro who takes in influences from Igor Stravinsky to Kanye West and uses every element in between as a basis for his mind-bending compositions. Cody Wrights technical yet melodic style on the bass pulls from masters Bobby Vega & Jaco Pastorius. His pick-style provides the harmonic foundation for Scales sound, while his solos leave audiences awestruck. Drummer Phill Bronson drives the Fourchestras time-shifting, modern grooves with a style stemming from his extensive background as a percussionist. He fuses his upbringing with his training, gracefully maneuvering through Jonathans complex rhythmic structures. The Fourchestra is a true mix of jazz edge and classical sensibility.
Steel pannist and virtuoso composer, Jonathan Scales, formed his 'Fourchestra' in 2007 as a means to deliver his musically complex, but somehow accessible ideas to anyone willing to listen. The latest installment in his musical saga, Character Farm & Other Short Stories, is a 45-minute dive deeper into the compositionally-twisted work of steel pannist. The nine original instrumental "stories" on the album take listeners from the primal "Jam We Did" to the lush "Hallucinations of the Dream Chasers". The title track "Character Farm" takes the audience into an instrumental-fairy-tale of sorts, after the frantically emotional "The Longest December". Guest appearances on the record include Jeff Coffin (of Dave Matthews Band), Yonrico Scott and Kofi Burbridge (of Derek Trucks Band fame) and the dazzling work of fiddle virtuoso Casey Driessen.
"At the end of the day, Scales is going to be a major play in rewriting the books on steelpan music outside of the box." (When Steel Talks)
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