Jonathan Scales
Birth name Jonathan Scales
Born September 14, 1984
San Francisco
Origin Asheville, North Carolina, US
Genres Jazz, jazz fusion, world music
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, composer,
Instruments Steel Pan Drums
Jonathan Scales (born September 14, 1984) is an American steel pannist and composer. He has recorded and produced five albums, the most recent being Mixtape Symphony, released on 2014 on Ropeadope Records. The album features guest performances by Victor Wooten and Howard Levy. Since 2007, Scales has recorded and performed with Victor Wooten, Howard Levy, The Duhks, Roy “Future Man” Wooten, Jeff Coffin, Jeff Sipe, Casey Driessen, Oteil Burbridge, Kofi Burbridge, and Yonrico Scott. His albums have been reviewed by Modern Drummer and Jazz Times. Scales graduated from Appalachian State University in 2006.
Scales was born in San Francisco and was raised in a military family, spending time in Maryland, Virginia, Fort Bragg, and Germany before settling in North Carolina around the age of fifteen. A saxophonist since high school, Scales took up the steelpan in 2002 and fell in love with the sound of the instrument. Scales enrolled at Appalachian State University in 2002, and after graduating, formed the jazz fusion quartet Jonathan Scales Fourchestra. 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 “Futureman” 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)
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