At the Grammy Museum Thursday night, without saying so directly, Miles Mosley spent the evening in both conversation and music giving ample evidence that he is able to be the man that can bridge the gap between popular music and jazz. Like compatriot Jamie Cullum, Mosley is posed to appeal to fans that love the rich jazz tradition, but have no problem sharing a theatre with people who want to get up and dance.
Mosley, with his West Coast Get Down team, opened the evening with an insightful interview session lead by Scott Goldman. Mosley shared how he and his bandmates have known each other since high school and college. “Each musician brings something to the band” Mosley explained, as he revealed that the team was able to record an astonishing 170 songs in just 30 days in order to release four albums, which included Kamasi Washington’s The Epic and Mosley’s R&B influenced Uprising.”
Mosley and company shared how growing up in LA made each of the musicians more open to an amalgamation of styles, “ranging from Billy Higgins to Dr Dre.” or as tenor saxist Howard Wiley quipped “mixing organic kale with a burrito.” The bassist summed up the essence of his vision, stating “Music serves a purpose of going down to where you’re feeling; when you’re sad, you want to hear a song that’s as sad as you are” referring to his own rich lyrics as “orphans looking for a song.”
Mosley and company completed the evening with an hour long set to demonstrate how Soul Train can meet with Coltrane. The STAX’d horns teamed with the irresistible backbeat along with Mosley’s earnest and honey’d voice, preaching as if James Brown were an Old Testament prophet on “Abraham” Pieces like “Reap a Soul” and “More Than This” mixed riveting grooves with freebop solos by the horns, while Mosley had his upright bass conjure up sounds ranging from Wah Wah Watson to Richie Blackmore as he bowed with heavy metal thunder.
During his solo spot, Mosley picked, bent and plucked his bass with an assertiveness and dexterity that melded Mingus fingers with Bach lyricism.
Amidst all of the infectious music, Mosley is still able to deliver messages of hope. With Cameron Grave’s piano creating ripples of ivory, Mosley bowed through a dramatic “LA Won’t Bring You Down” that gave encouragement of words through music that was both contemplative and celebratory.
Like Roy Hobbs in The Natural, Miles Mosley is starting late in the game as a leader, but even at 37, this “rookie” with his first album as a leader shows that he’s got a lot to say to the present generation. A bright light for the City of Angels.
Other shows coming to The Grammy Museum include George Clinton Aug 9 and Jonny Lang Aug 10