Alan Terrill
He keeps getting better and this mini-album is an amazing set of steel drum led fusion but with none of the overlong soloing that some fusion sometimes has. A great trio of superb musicians, playing some tightly written pieces.
One year after the release of PILLAR, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra presents Mindstate Music - a concise, but musically dense instrumental journey that explores six psychological states of composer/steel pannist Jonathan Scales. Inspired by true events in Scales’ personal life, this music is intended to be something of an emotional release. The real-life, off-stage vulnerabilities and insecurities of the internationally respected artist are orchestrated here for the curiously adventurous listener to dive into. Mindstate Music finds the Fourchestra in the middle of a steel drum orchestra for the first time, exploring that lush, sonic pallet while staying true to Scales’ unique writing style. While movements like “The Maze” and “The Mad” showcase the Fourchestra’s signature style of mind-twisting, grooving complexities, a real sense of human frailty is exposed on pieces like “The Mean” and “The Mud”. For true fans of Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, Mindstate Music is a momentary glimpse into the artist’s head & heart, beyond the bounds of the music.
credits
released September 14, 2019
Musicians:
Jonathan Scales - double second steel pans (soloist)
E’Lon JD - bass guitar
Maison Guidry - drums
Louis Raymond-Kolker - tenor pan
Audrey Holden - tenor pan
Jeff Jones - tenor pan
Diana Loomer - tenor pan
Lauren Molloy - tenor pan
Vance Umphrey - double second pans
Jonah Payne - double second pans
Jonathan Scales - double second pans
Wyatt Bradford - guitar pans
Eric Luke - cello pans
Yuko Asada - bass pans
Jonathan Scales - triangle, tambourine, low toms, suspended cymbal
River Guerguerian - congas, bongos, shakers, cow bell, & silkworm cocoon rattles on “The Man”
Crew:
Produced by Jonathan Scales
Daniel Shearin - main recording engineer (Sleeping Dogs Studio - Asheville, NC)
Matt Williams - mixing engineer, editing (The Eagle Room - Weaverville, NC)
Dan Millice - mastering engineer (Engine Room Audio - New York, NY)
Jim Stewart - mastering assistant
Additional recording by:
Matt Williams (The Eagle Room - Weaverville, NC)
Tom Larson (Glenn Korff School of Music - Lincoln, NE)
Trey Karnes (Leander, TX)
Lanier Sammons (The Music Hall at CSUMB - Seaside, CA)
Doriel Demps (Doriel Productions - Kansas City, MO)
Piet Dalmolen (Universal Balance Studios - Arcata, CA)
Drake Sobehrad (Audio 17 - Lincoln, NE)
Dan Nichols (Aphorism Studios / Northern Illinois University - DeKalb, IL)
Scott McConnell - additional editing
Jonathan Scales - additional editing
Adam Ledbetter - artwork & graphic design (Los Angeles, CA)
Michael Morel - photography (Asheville, NC)
Music commissioned by Michael Mizma and premiered by San Jacinto College Central Steel Band
supported by 35 fans who also own “Mindstate Music”
The Funky Knuckles have come out with their Senior Album bringing their tasty improvisations to a new plateau! Everybody brought in amazing results but special shoutout to Wes who put out some of the finest bass work on this album! Props to the whole band on a mouth watering closing on the Bombastic Groovy Acid Fusion Suite Digital Compromise where I had my face melted and sold to the finest chef for how thoroughly cured it was by this album. Second fave is Stormcrow. Dylan Slattery