The rhythmic bedrock of the musical collective the WEST COAST GET DOWN is the masterful upright bass work
of MILES MOSLEY. For years he kept busy with session work and touring as sideman with the diverse likes of
CHRIS CORNELL, LAURYN HILL, CHRISTINA AGUILERA, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, KENDRICK LAMAR, and many
others. The story was quite the same for all of the West Coast Get Down, who had been playing together in LA
since childhood and toured most of their adulthood. A weekly jam session was their way to come back together,
eventually leading to an epic recording session of 30 days that yielded 170 original songs. Having each brought
their own charts to the table, they’ve gradually released them as solo projects, backed by each other. Last year
it was KAMASI WASHINGTON’S critically-acclaimed and aptly named “The Epic”, and earlier this year, Miles
Mosley released “Young Lion”. Now representing their own projects, the West Coast Get Down has been
credited with reviving the LA jazz scene, awakening the next direction of fusion and greatly enhancing the
musical foundation under notable projects like Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” -- for which they are
often credited for laying the musical foundation.
Early this summer, Miles Mosley wrapped up a U.S. tour supporting his album, one of the last stops being in
Philadelphia. While these musicians share immense virtuosity, they are quite diverse in the songs they write.
Mosley’s songs pull from elements of soul, classic R&B, and funk, while adding a modern intensity and an
evolving song form as only a jazz master could create.
It’s his playing of that upright that really captures the audience. Many might assume an upright bass was going
to deliver a classic sound from times ago. But what Miles Mosley can do with the upright bass is nothing short
of remarkable, perhaps even mind-blowing. You truly need to see it to believe it, because if you didn’t watch