Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Mosby
Hi Todd, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
An adept guitarist, Todd Mosby has garnered acclaim for his sophisticated, broad-minded blend of contemporary jazz, folk, new age, and North Indian raga traditions. He first showcased his sound on 2004′s West East, and has continued to explore a mix of Western and Eastern sounds on a series of nature and spiritually minded concept albums like 2016′s Eagle Mountain, 2019′s Open Waters , and 2020′s Aerial Views . With 2023′s Land of Enchantment, he turned his attention to the arid landscapes of America’s Southwest.
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Mosby grew up in an aviation family and often co-piloted airplanes with his father. He also developed a love of music, starting on guitar at age six. However, it wasn’t until he was 18 that he became more serious about playing music. After high school, he attended Berklee School of Music in Boston where he developed his jazz chops. He also spent several years fronting a new wave band. By the ’90s, he was working regularly as a first-call jazz musician in the Saint Louis area. It was also during this period that he began studying privately with master sitar player Ustadt Imrat Khan learning traditional Classical North Indian raga music.
Over time, he developed a cross-pollinated style, bridging jazz, raga, new age, and folk traditions. His work with Imrat Khan also led to the development of the acoustic Imrat Guitar, a hybrid sitar and guitar. He showcased his genre-bending approach on his 2004 debut, West East. In 2016, he released his sophomore album and first in a series of connected, nature-focused concept albums, Eagle Mountain. It earned a ZMR Award nomination (Zone Music Reporter) for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. He joined Will Ackerman ’s Four Guitars ensemble shortly after its release, and began touring and recording with them along with his own New Horizons Ensemble. Mosby’s second concept release, Open Waters , followed in 2019 and picked up his first ZMR Album Award. In 2020, he released the third album in his concept series, Aerial Views, which found him drawing upon his love of the sky and flight and received his second ZMR Album Award as well as a USA Songwriters Award.
Inspired by the landscape of the Southwestern United States, as well as the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe, he delivered 2023′s Land of Enchantment. It featured contributions by saxophonist Tom Scott , drummer Vinnie Colaiuta , violinist Charlie Bisharat , and others. ~ Matt Collar
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Understanding music composition, guitar and live music performance has been a long and difficult road. The aspect which keeps me continuing this path is the fact it is so difficult and never ending. The research and discoveries, people I met and cultures I absorbed as a result of my studies has been truly amazing.
My world has broadened on so many levels and the beautiful thing is I get to share that with some of the finest musicians and best audiences in some of the most beautiful performance spaces.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
A 2x ZMR Broadcasters and USA Songwriters Awardee, I am an award winning musician from Missouri with jazz, folk and Indian raga influences. I have garnered acclaim for my sophisticated, broad-minded blend of contemporary jazz, folk, new age, and North Indian raga traditions.
I have also toured and performed in some of the finest performing arts centers across the USA, appeared in Guitar World magazine 2xs and won multiple World Music Awards for his albums and music.
An acclaimed Indian and Jazz Guitarist, I am the only guitarist to become a member of the famed Imdhad Khani Gharana of musicians, India’s most prestigious family of sitar musicians dating back 500 years to Tan-Sen and the Moghul courts.
Encompassing elements from jazz, raag, classical, folk rock and bluegrass into his sound, I have created my own musical syntax. The result is a distinct style unique to my sense of composition, transcending known genres of music.
My dedicated 13 year study of classical North Indian music with Ustadt Imrat Khan led a very different guitar technique and the development of acoustic and electric versions of the Imrat guitar, an 18 stringed hybrid sitar-guitar bridge instrument for crossing musical platforms and cultures.
Imrat Khan considers me to be one of the few Western musicians who have mastered the two great mountains of music; North Indian Raag and Western Composition and Improvisation.
What’s next?
In August, 2025 I will be recording my second album with Grammy winning producer Jeffrey Weber and his team of Los Angeles finest studio musicians including Vinnie Colaiuta, Tom Scott, Rhonda Smith, Louis Conte, Michael Manring among others. Tom Scott has agreed to write one of the arrangements which I am very excited about.
This will be the 6th full production album in my catalogue of concept based albums. The titled is called American Heartland based on my travels and life living within the Midwest and nearly of the heartland Missouri.
Pricing:
- Spotify.com/toddmosby
- AppleMusic.com/toddmosby
- Tidal.com/toddmosby
- https://www.toddmosby.band/store
- Pandora.com/toddmosby
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.toddmosby.band
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/toddmosbymusic
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/toddmosbymusic
- LinkedIn: https://LinkedIn.com/toddmosby,usic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/toddmosby,usic
- Youtube: https://YouTube.com/toddmosbymusic
- Soundcloud: https://SoundCloud.com/toddmosbymusic
- Other: https://bio.site.com/toddmosby
