TODD MOSBY, American Heartland

Currently celebrating an empowering decade as a multi-faceted, wildly creative force in contemporary instrumental music, multiple Global Music and Zone Music Reporter (ZMR) award winner Todd Mosby is a modern master of conceptual albums.

From his Will Ackerman and Tom Eaton produced new age oriented “elements” trilogy (starting with Eagle Mountain in 2016) through the Jeff Weber-helmed Land of Enchantment (2023), which captured the magic, strength and beauty of New Mexico and the Southwest, he gathers his musical aesthetic and titles around a central theme are reminiscent of the program music that classical impressionists like Debussy, Ravel and Tchaikovsky once created. Mosby approaches each project as a way to use music (which he calls “abstract auditory”) to connect with listeners through striking mental and visual imagery.  

Artfully fusing the acoustic guitar driven new age vibe that brought him to national prominence with intricately produced dynamics-filled jazz electric guitar fired sessions featuring legendary L.A. musicians, Mosby’s latest work American Heartland offers an expansive musical and thematic landscape sharing memories, homages and impressions of the nearest and dearest place in his heart – his home state of Missouri. Born in the Heartland of America, he feels a strong spiritual connection to the region. The only state surrounded by seven others, he feels it’s one of the two heart centers in America (the Black Hills being the other).

Mosby grew up on his family’s farm, literally waking up at 5 AM to feed the horses cattle and chickens – a nostalgic ritual he meditates upon via the album’s breezy, gently rolling solo acoustic guitar gem “On the Farm,” organic scrapes on the wood and all. “We had to get up before sunrise. There was always something special about that time of day and hearing the cattle call and the horses whinny.” He connects deeply to the region’s farmland, rolling hills, waterways and ancient mountain ranges. Because of Mosby’s keen, ever-evolving ability to express his truest heart in music, listeners will surely connect with the majestic history and intimate connections he illuminates. But it goes further – he’s also a student of the area’s history who could literally hold court and teach a master class on it.      

At an anxious time when cultural and political divides often threaten to focus on a negative view of the country, American Landscape offers a more hopeful perspective rooted in its rich history as a melting pot. “The concept is to sonically describe the heart and soul of America from the perspective of a Midwesterner,” Mosby says. “I really love America and all that it stands for. I feel the Bill of Rights was written for all mankind. It is a very simple and spiritual document.

“The title also represents a growing feeling of appreciation, gratitude and compassion for being born in America and all the access to so many diverse cultures,” he adds. “The title track of the album, ‘American Heartland,’ is what I consider my version of home-grown Missouri heartland all the way. The music is a fusion of a contemporary stop time jazz head with a contemporary bebop middle section followed by a Weather Report type melodic section which breaks out onto a full-on gospel choir at the end. That’s what the St. Louis region of Missouri is to me.”

Mosby continues the spirit of the Ackerman/Eaton produced albums at Imaginary Road Studios on several tracks, including the sweetly lyrical, gently loping, Satie and Debussy chamber folk inspired opener “Clouds Above Golden Fields”; the sensually swaying “Witchi Tai (Postlude)” featuring one of singer Lola Kristine’s breathtakingly dreamy, ethereal vocals; and the mystical and majestic (not to mention epic and wildly surreal) seven minute immersion into Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” also featuring Kristine’s exquisitely angelic voice.

Yet the jamming, funked up, improvisation rich title track jam Mosby describes so viscerally is exactly the exploratory, high energy contemporary jazz vibe he was seeking from the two-time Grammy winner Weber, who as he did on Land of Enchantment, found the perfect combo of jazz greats to meet Mosby’s latest moment. Holdovers from that project include Vinnie Colauita, saxophonist/horn arranger Tom Scott, percussionist Luis Conte and keyboardist Dapo Torimiro, with Lee Sklar replacing longtime Prince bassist Rhonda Smith (who had scheduling conflicts) and sharing bass duties with Michael Manring, who played on many of Todd’s new age sessions. The American Heartland ensemble also includes three horn masters (trombonist Nick Lane, trumpeter Dan Fornero, French Horn player John Dickson), cellist Judy Kang and Bruce Carver on glockenspiel.

Adding the perfect touch of transcendent voicings to the recording is the delicate yet often exuberant vocalese and lyric parts sung by Laura Vall and the aforementioned Lola Kristine. “Lola was particularly fun to write for as I knew her range and incredible talent as a vocalist,” Mosby says. “I wrote parts for her that I would never write for anyone else. Her work on the title track and her higher range vocal solo at the end of ‘Joanie’s Town’ are two examples of her extraordinary range and talent.”

Since Mosby mentioned the centerpiece tune inspired by his wife Joanie, that’s a good place to start unpacking the rest of the magnificent, rhythmically eclectic gems on American Heartland. The track is a high spirited, horn-fired romp with an easy funk groove, blending pop, soul, rock and jazz excitement around his fluid, infectious electric guitar melody. The town gets downright snazzy when the brass textures open up to Fornero’s shimmering trumpet solo.

Another favorite, “All the Stars Tonight,” find Mosby showcasing his jazziest solo chops amidst an exotic rolling groove, floating vocals, a blissful soul-jazz groove and a sizzling Latin flavored trumpet solo. The song reflects the times Mosby would spend with his young son, camping out along his family’s property watching the night sky and the spirals arm of our galaxy passing overhead.

A nod towards the lushness of Missouri’s endless landscape, or “what Missouri looks like in summertime,” “Land of Green” is an engaging, mid-tempo soul-rock influenced excursion that’s right in the bright brass/funk wheelhouse of classic Tower of Power. “ A powerful display of the array of emotion Mosby can create with just his Mendel Custom Model acoustic, “A Full Moon Rising” reminds him of the summers he spent fishing on his friends’ lake at night while they cut firewood during the day. Spotlighting his spritely electric lines and Lola’s soaring vocals, he paints another personal memory with the whimsical, fast bustling samba “Palomino” – an ode to the horse he learned to ride on.

It’s likely that listeners who hear the breezy, loping 70’s vibin’ electric pop/rocker “Wichi Tai” will be singing along after Lola’s first statement of the catchy phrase. It’s from a Native American chant associated with a peyote ceremony and is often interpreted as a celebration of the “water spirit.” Todd says, “It’s a tribute the Native American side of me that was always calling as a child and still does to an extent today.”

After the aforementioned solo acoustic “Wichi Tai (Postlude),” Mosby graces the project with a wondrous, classical, folk and jazz tinged spin on the Jimmy Webb-penned (and Glen Campbell signature) “Wichita Lineman,” which features Lola’s crystalline vocals complemented with haunting cello and Todd’s soulful string lines, capped by the elegant charms of Torimiro’s acoustic piano solo. It’s a re-imagining for the ages, mining the emotional depths of the deceptively simple story of longing.

“I personally enjoyed every step of the process of bringing my concept of American Heartland to life,” Mosby says. “From song selection with Jeff, to written arrangements and sending out mock-ups for approval, to part writing and engraving, to learning my parts, recording in a world class studio, to working with the absolute finest musicians on the planet, to getting the mix just right, to mastering, the graphics, promotions, publicity and everything else! Now if all this is done to each individual’s highest standards and I hold true to my overall vision of making sure the music survives and is the best I can possibly deliver in the eyes of the Creator/Musical force, then the audience will feel the end result of everyone’s effort in the most beautiful ways. My hope is that this music can become a soundtrack to a piece of their day in some kind of positive and memorable way.”

For more information: https://bio.site/Palomino_toddmosby