Party: Jonathan Scales Fourchestra

Party: Jonathan Scales Fourchestra

biography
This steel drum jazz-funk power trio for the modern ear, from Ashville, North Carolina/USA, explodes onto stages with an indescribable sound that is as much felt as it is heard: "a Thelonius Monk-like attitude with a Mozart creativity" (Pan on the Net). Weaving together collective and individual influences without compromise, they are as much themselves as they are a unit—a crucial trait of landmark instrumental ensembles. At center stage, steel pannist and founder Jonathan Scales’ compositional skill mixes with tasteful, avant-garde improvisations to form an unmistakably unique approach to an instrument often associated with cruise ships and tropical music. Driftwood Magazine says: “Scales is to steel pans ….what Béla Fleck is to the banjo—an über innovator.” New York's Jay White will be adding his tasteful flare to Scales' music on this European run; his extensive experience performing with top artists in the gospel world really brings an undeniably deep sense of soul to the Fourchestra's dense compositions. Jay's talents have let him to work with the likes of Cory Henry, Kim Burell, Rita Ora, and Phil Lassiter. On the drums, Chicago's Xavier Breaker offers a magical, time-defying sense of rhythmic wizardry that leaves listeners in disbelief. He has toured extensively with Sidewalk Chalk (Ropeadope Records), leads his own group (Xavier Breaker Coalition), and is currently contributing his voice to the Fourchestra on the international stage.

Jonathan Scales Fourchestra’s self-titled 2013 debut album on Ropeadope Recordsfeatured guest collaborators Victor Wooten and Howard Levy of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones and is fully orchestrated with horns and strings. In 2014, the Fourchestra released Mixtape Symphony (Ropeadope.), a dense, half-hour long-form album inspired by and dedicated to Roy “Futureman” Wooten, which peaked at #6 on the iTunes Jazz charts.