About Todd Mosby
Todd Mosby’s love for Indian music was born in a small shop near his home. After school he would hang out in the store, smelling the sweet incense and listening to records from great Indian artists. The chance of a lifetime came when the legendary sitarist Imrat Khan moved to Todd’s hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. What Bach’s family did to western classical music — Imrat’s family did to Indian music. They totally changed its course. Todd jumped at the opportunity to take lessons with Imrat, which led to a 13-year intense study of Classical North Indian Music. Todd describes it as a student-disciple model, learning the philosophy, history, spirituality of the music. It may have cost more than any post-graduate education — but Todd wouldn’t trade it for anything.
A few years into these lessons, Todd recognized he needed a new instrument to blend the eastern styles he was learning with the western music he’s always known. Together with Imrat Khan and luthier Kim Schwartz, the trio came up with a new type of instrument to combine the best features of a sitar and a guitar. The new Imrat Guitar has contemporary harp guitar strings pitched above the 1st string, rather than below the 6th string, 11 sympathetic strings, 2 necks, 3 chikara strings, 4 playing strings, and Javari. The result is a beautiful, inspiring sound.
Todd’s music
You can hear Todd play the Imrat Guitar on his latest album, Aerial Views. The music was inspired by many hours spent flying with his father, who was a pilot. Songs like “Gliding” and “Into Starlight” lift you into the clouds, soaring effortlessly through the sky without being tied down to earth. Todd reminisces on the breathtaking views from a small plane 10,000 feet up — views we usually miss on the commercial planes, which fly much higher. Aerial Views invites you to let go and freely soar on the wings of Todd’s music.
Todd also recently released a new single, “An Olde Farewell.” He adds the “Mosby touch” to “Auld Lang Syne” by stretching out the melody, altering chord progressions, and adding drums into the mix. This ancient tune dates back about 12,000 years. Todd’s research shows its roots are connected with the mythology of Atlantis when the huge flood occurred. According to legend, the survivors carried the tune to the shores of Ireland, where they sang about the sadness of lost relations and the hope of new beginnings.
Listen to the full interview with guitarist Todd Mosby to learn more about his unique style of playing, his love of Indian music, and his three-album concept series that Aerial Views concluded.
Resources
Learn more about Todd Mosby on his website, You can find Aerial Views anywhere you stream music. It’s also available for purchase from Amazon Music. Subscribe to Bite-Size Jazzon your favorite podcast platform and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. We’d love to connect with you!
Episode Rewind
Jacques Schwarz-Bart – Episode 32 & Aaron Goldberg/Yes! Trio – Episode 08