Composer and steel pan player Jonathan Scales will release a new album with his Fourchestra outfit, PILLAR, on September 14, and today we premiere one of the record’s tracks, “Focus Poem,” which features special guest Béla Fleck on banjo and puts the two bandleaders on display, as they intertwine the unique sounds of their respective instruments in complex and intricate lines.

“Personally, this piece is an instrumental soundtrack to pushing forward one step at a time, as insurmountable as the path may seem,” Scales tells Relix. “I wrote ‘Focus Poem’ at a time when I needed a light at the end of the tunnel to keep myself motivated. Overcoming so many of life’s obstacles to find myself working on this track with the musical superhero Béla Fleck is such a significant milestone for me as an artist.” 

“Jonathan is a very talented and motivated musician who is forging new trails for the steel pans,” Fleck adds. “It was my pleasure to play with him on this very challenging and musical piece!”

Listen to “Focus Poem” below, and catch Scales on tour in the Northeast this month.