Jonathan Scales’ steelpans blaze at the Aspen Ideas Festival

The Aspen Ideas Festival campus spans 40 acres and is filled with art installations, event venues, grassy fields and picturesque gardens. Sounds perfect, right? But when we tried to find a place to record Jonathan Scales’ steelpans, the landscape actually presented a challenge.

Scales’ instruments were once authentic oil barrels that were pounded, finished and tuned just for the Fourchestra. Despite the fact that it originated in tropical Trinidad and Tobago, the steelpan is highly sensitive to the sun’s heat, which impacts the metal so drastically that if left in the sun even for a short period of time, it can warp out of tune. Our team spent a lot of time trying to find a shady spot to capture this Field Recording, and we finally found a nook protected by a strand of Aspen trees.

Jonathan Scales Fourchestra has been performing for 17 years, and in the process he’s established the steelpans as a signature jazz instrument. This performance features bassist Cody Wright, who used to play with the group and made a special appearance for this performance. Their energetic, creative four-song set revels in the uncategorizable area between jazzy funk and bluegrass.

SET LIST

• “Desert”
• “Box in the Sky”
• “Lurkin’ ”
• “The Trap”

MUSICIANS

• Jonathan Scales: steelpans
• Cody Wright: bass
• Maison Guidry: drums

NPR TEAM

• Director: Mito Habe-Evans
• Editors: James Hughes
• Videographers: Tsering Bista, Mito Habe-Evans
• Audio Engineer: Josh Newell
• Post-Production Coordinator: Tsering Bista
• Supervising Editor: Becky Lettenberger
• Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
• VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

ASPEN IDEAS TEAM 

• Senior Producer: Ava Hartmann 
• Videographers: Ryan Lohr, Will Sardinsky
• Audio Engineer: Michael Milota
• Audio Services Director: Matt Windholz
• Festival Director: Graham Veysey

SPECIAL THANKS

• Brandi Wynne

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