Jonathan Scales has shared a new track, “The Trap,” from his forthcoming album PILLAR. Featuring the talents of Bassists Victor Wooten and MonoNeon along with percussionists Weedie Braimah and trumpeter Christian Scott atunde Adjuah. the track is a dynamic collaboration of some of the top players today, united behind Scales’ vibrant steel pan performance and compositional technique. “Jonathan Scales is a perfect example of how to make it happen,” writes Victor Wooten of his collaboration with Scales. “He’s a great musician, a wonderful person, and is always fun to make music with. It is a pleasure to be on his record along side of the amazing Mononeon.” The track is currently streaming via Bass Player Magazine. PILLAR will be released on Sept. 14th on Ropeadope.
Listen: Jonathan Scales Fourchestra – “The Trap”
https://soundcloud.com/
Jonathan Scales is one of the most innovative steel pannists on the planet, and is redefining and challenging traditional expectations of his signature instrument. In his hands the steel pan – often associated with cruise ships and tropical resorts – is radically expanded to mimic the role of horns, piano, vibraphone or marimba thanks to his stunning, virtuosic technique. Scales’ mesmerizing compositions have captivated listeners and elevated him to the status of a true composer, forging new territory in the medium of instrumental music.
Scales recently released the song “Focus Poem,” which premiered via Relix. an features Béla Fleck, whose unsurpassed mastery of the banjo provides a unique foil for Scales’ bright, rhythmic style. Fleck writes, “Jonathan Scales is a very talented and motivated musician, who is forging new trails for the steel pans. It was my pleasure to play with him on this very challenging and musical piece!”
He also premiered a live performance video of his song “We Came in Through The Storm” with Revive Music, who describes him as a “rich and singular compositional voice.” Watch it HERE.
Jonathan Scales’ upcoming release, PILLAR—his sixth album, and fourth release on taste-maker label Ropeadope—is a testament to the grit and tenacity he possesses, while also serving as an introduction of his new, full-time rhythm battery consisting of bassist E’Lon JD and drummer Maison Guidry. These two formidable young lions hold their own in the company of an incredible cast of special guests, including bassists Victor Wooten, Oteil Burbridge (The Allman Brothers), and MonoNeon (Prince, Ghost Note), trumpeter Christian Scott, saxophonist Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band), keyboardist Shaun Martin, percussionist Weedie Braimah and banjo pioneer Béla Fleck. It is the inclusion of Béla Fleck on this record that stands out most notably in context of Scales’ own personal story, and in this regard, PILLAR represents a remarkable victory for the music lover inside of the 33-year-old Asheville, NC based artist.
As a young man at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, Jonathan was inspired by the compositions of Béla Fleck, and would often arrive early at Flecktones concerts, hoping to speak with his hero. Scales’ talent and creativity could have been focused on other instruments he studied at the time, such as saxophone, but he fell in love with the sound of the steel pans. Hearing Béla Fleck’s transformative approach to the banjo had a significant, even reassuring impact on Scales, who was already independently seeking to rethink how steel pans could be played and employed in compositions. Driftwood Magazine made a similar observation, when it wrote that “Scales is to steel pans what Béla Fleck is to the banjo—an über innovator.” Bringing the relationship full circle, Béla Fleck’s performance on the song “Focus Poem” serves as something of an affirmation of the young composer’s talent and persistence.
PILLAR is a record stacked with world-renowned virtuosos performing at the top of their games, which have inspired and encouraged Jonathan Scales to push forward and ultimately come into his own as an artist. Jonathan himself, deeply honored and humbled by his musical heroes’ appreciation and support of his art, describes the album as a culmination of ten years of dedication and hard work, and “…a soundtrack to loss, focus, perseverance and triumph. Like pillars, we stand strong on unsteady ground, weathering life’s storms. Like pillars, we must sometimes be reconstructed and revitalized to withstand the crushing weight of our own worlds.”
