Jonathan Scales (born September 14, 1984) is an American steel pannist and composer. He has recorded and produced seven albums, the most recent being ''Mindstate Music'', released in 2019 on

Ropeadope Records Ropeadope Records is an American record label known for recordings in a variety of genres including jazz, hip hop, gospel, and electronic music. The label, now led by Louis Marks, was founded in 1999 by Andy HurwitzAndy Hurwitz"Ropeadope carves i ...

. Since 2007, Scales has recorded and performed with

Victor Wooten Victor Lemonte Wooten (born September 11, 1964) is an American bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He has been the bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones since the group's formation in 1988 and a member of the band SMV with two other ...

Howard Levy Howard Levy (born July 31, 1951) is an American multi-instrumentalist. A keyboardist and virtuoso harmonica player, Levy "has been realistically presented as one of the most important and radical harmonica innovators of the twentieth century. ...

The Duhks The Duhks are a Canadian folk fusion band, formed in 2002 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Featuring banjo, fiddle, guitar, percussion, and vocals, The Duhks blend folk music together with various Canadian and American traditional styles, includin ...

, Roy "Future Man" Wooten,

Jeff Coffin Jeff Coffin (born August 5, 1965) is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator. He is a three-time Grammy Award winner as a member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, with whom he performed from 1997 until 2010. In July 2008, Coffin began to ...

Jeff Sipe Jeff Sipe (born January 31, 1959), also known as Apt. Q258, is an American drummer. He is a rock and jazz fusion drummer but is proficient in other styles. He is a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit with Bruce Hampton. He was a member of Le ...

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, and

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, bringing the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classi ...

whom Scales describes as his "musical hero". His albums have been reviewed by ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...

'' and ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

''. Scales graduated from

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...

in 2006.

Early life and career

Scales was born in San Francisco and was raised in a military family, spending time in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...

, and Germany before settling in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

around the age of fifteen. A saxophonist since high school, Scales took up the

steelpan The steelpan (also known as a pan, steel drum, and sometimes, collectively with other musicians, as a steelband or steel orchestra) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. Descriptio ...

in 2002 and fell in love with the sound of the instrument. Scales enrolled at

in 2002, and after graduating, he formed the

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

quartet

Jonathan Scales Fourchestra Jonathan Scales (born September 14, 1984) is an American Steel drums, steel pannist and composer. He has recorded and produced seven albums, the most recent being ''Mindstate Music'', released in 2019 on Ropeadope Records. Since 2007, Scales has ...

. The band's collaborative debut, ''Fourchestra'', was released in 2013 on Ropeadope Records. 2014 ushered in ''Mixtape Symphony'', a long-form album inspired by Roy "Future Man" Wooten, also released on Ropeadope Records, featuring compositions by both Scales and bassist Cody Wright.

Discography

As solo artist

* ''One Track Mind'', 2007 * ''Plot/Scheme'', 2008 * ''Character Farm and Other Short Stories'', 2011

with Fourchestra

* ''Fourchestra'', 2013 ( Ropeadope) * ''Mixtape Symphony'', 2014 (Ropeadope) *''Pillar'', 2018 (Ropeadope) *''Mindstate Music'', 2019 (Ropeadope)

References

External links

Official websiteInterview
with Bob Danziger from the

California State University, Monterey Bay California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB or Cal State Monterey Bay) is a public university in Monterey County, California. Its main campus is located on the site of the former military base Fort Ord, straddling the cities of Seaside and ...

Jazz Interview Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Scales, Jonathan 1984 births Living people Musicians from Fayetteville, North Carolina Appalachian State University alumni American jazz musicians Jazz fusion musicians Steelpan musicians Musical groups from North Carolina Jazz musicians from North Carolina Musicians from Asheville, North Carolina