Bio
Mark Mosley was only 11 years old when he first picked up the guitar. That one single act put him on the road of a lifelong musical adventure that would allow him to discover a deep love of many different styles of music. The Blues first lit his soul - particularly the styles of B.B. King, Freddie King and Albert Collins; and then it was jazz that caught his attention! During a high school band trip to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, he became mesmerized after seeing a live performance from Oscar Peterson, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Les McCann, Eddie Harris, and David “Fathead” Newman. This once in a lifetime experience motivated him to learn all he could about this sensational original American art form.
This multifaceted young man later graduated from the U.S. Army and Naval School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia all the while playing in numerous local R&B and jazz bands. Mark’s music has always been a driving force in his soul, but this man also gave more than his musical talents to the world. Mosley was an Army paratrooper while stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina and also served as a Hurricane Katrina Army National Guard volunteer. Even while focused on his military and educational careers, the Baltimore based Mosley has kept his musical fires burning, and has finally achieved his longtime dream with the highly anticipated release of his second solo CD TLC, whose title is truly indicative of the detailed love and overriding sense of passion he brings to the music on this diverse set of ten infectious originals and emotional new renditions of Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love” and Errol Garner’s jazz standard “Misty.”
On Stage
When you see Mark Mosley perform live, you can’t help but see and feel a resemblance to the legends. After all, during his musical career Mark has performed with many musical greats. He toured with Lou Donaldson, worked with Gary Bartz, Keter Betts and many others. He has performed as a band leader in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas for several years at venues ranging from the legendary Blues Alley to Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel, Maryland, Twins Jazz and the Benjamin Banneker Museum in Baltimore. Mosley delivers an honest, toe tapping, swinging, smooth performance every time; a true talent that keeps you coming back for more!
Notable live performances
- Montreux Jazz Festival – Montreux, Switzerland
- Blues Alley – Washington, DC
- Montpelier Arts Center – Baltimore, MD
- Twins Jazz – Baltimore, MD
- Benjamin Banneker Museum - Baltimore, MD
Music
Mosley’s latest CD TLC is notable for its exciting diversity of styles showcasing his energetic guitar, with uplifting, easygoing sometimes breezy and romantic tunes, all the while displaying his dexterity. The set begins with the uplifting and perfectly titled, “Good Vibes” and the sensual, brass-enhanced “Sweet Love” before shifting gears into the swinging, straight ahead jazz-blues energy of “The Real Deal.” Following the romantic, atmospheric title track, Mosley goes full throttle on the horn-drenched James Brown tribute “JB,” which artfully mixes old school funk blasts with hip-hop era scratching. He takes it down a notch for an elegant rendition of “Misty,” then gets back to the contemporary pop/jazz funk of “A Night In Baltimore,” one of the tunes that best displays his dexterity on the electric. Mosley digs back into the blues for the blues/gospel and horn driven “Divine Order”, then taps into the classic Tower of Power vibe (but with a modern house dance flair and a blast of electric rock guitar) on “House Party.” Mosley imagines the tropics and goes Latin on the balmy, mid tempo ballad “Fontana” and the high energy percussive jam “Carnival In San Juan” before wrapping with the gentle, moody (but still improvisational) “Quantum Leap.”
The music is sweet, smooth, kickin’ and hot…and it gets that way with a little help from his friends. On bass is Stanley Banks (George Benson), on piano, Onaje Allan Gumbs (Phyllis Hyman, Will Downing, Woody Shaw, Kenny Burrell). On drums is Buddy Williams (Luther Vandross, G. Duke, Sting, G. Benson, D. Sanborn). On keys, Moe Daniels (The Spinners, Angela Bofill), and Gary Grainger also on bass (John Schofield, Paul Reed Smith Band) and that’s just some of the noted players. TLC has been recorded with rich and full production by keyboardist & producer Moe Daniels. This incredible ensemble of musicians helps make Mosley’s TLC a brilliant musical delight and a sensational follow up to Mosley’s first CD Mark’s Mood, which is a mixture of originals and jazz standards.
Reviews
“The bright and brilliant indie guitarist, Mark Mosley shows moxie by creating an independent debut that defiantly and gleefully transcends genre trappings. For adventurous listeners, TLC is an endless delight. There are smooth jazz hit worthy tunes for sure, but that’s just the beginning of this stellar project.” – Jonathan Widran
“I like your tone and approach. You're letting the music breathe and creating in the moment. I hear melodies when you solo. Let's play together sometime.” - John Stowell
“Mark Mosley is a gifted guitarist. Mark has succeeded in combining some great traditional Jazz blues lines with more modern chromatic and sequential playing. Mark's soloing is like a combination of Grant Green and McCoy Tyner.” - Doug Munro
“I enjoy your music; great tone on the band number. The L5 and Twin are great together & I loved your thumb playing of the head.” - Wolf Marshall
“Mark Mosley is an excellent guitarist with a clear tone, a harmonically advanced style and a swinging approach. Mosley’s tone and style at various times is reminiscent of Pat Martino, Russell Malone, Kenny Burrell and others in the modern straight ahead idiom. He builds up his solos logically, takes some chances, and yet always sounds relaxed and confident, even at faster tempos.” - Scott Yanow
“Mosley's playing is firmly entrenched in the jazz guitar tradition, though he often takes risks in exploring new, more modern territory that other bebop based guitarists might shy away from. Possessing a tone that is both warm and engaging, Mosley is never too hard on his pick, his attack is smooth yet never to the point of sloppy. He prefers to lay back on the beat, with that classic '60s Blue Note feel, something that he has garnered from years of studying the greats, with Kenny Burrell and Grant Green coming to mind in particular.” - Matthew Warnock
Mark Mosley
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