Bob Moses (musician)

Ra-Kalam Bob Moses (b. Jan. 28, 1948) is an American jazz drummer born in New York City.

Moses played with Roland Kirk in 1964-65 while he was still a teenager. In 1966 he and Larry Coryell formed The Free Spirits, a jazz fusion ensemble, and from 1967 to 1969 he played in Gary Burton's quartet. He also recorded with Burton in the 1970s, in addition to work with Dave Liebman/Open Sky, Pat Metheny, Mike Gibbs, Hal Galper, Gil Goldstein, Steve Swallow, Steve Kuhn/Sheila Jordan (from 1979 to 1982), George Gruntz, and Emily Remler (from 1983 to 1984). In the early 1970s he was a member of Compost with Harold Vick, Jumma Santos, Jack Gregg and Jack DeJohnette.

His first session as a leader was in 1975; his releases for Gramavision in the 1980s were critically acclaimed.

Moses currently performs alongside John Lockwood, Don Pate, and John Medeski with noted guitarist Tisziji Muñoz and teaches at New England Conservatory.

Discography

As leader

• Love Animal (1968, Amulet, 2003)
• Bittersuite in the Ozone (Mozown, 1975)
• Family (1979, Buddah, 1982; re-released as Devotion, Soul Note, 1996)
• When Elephants Dream of Music (Gramavision, 1982)
• Visit with the Great Spirit (Gramavision, 1983)
• The Story of Moses (Gramavision, 1987)
• Time Stood Still (Gramavision, 1993)
• Nishoma (Grapeshot, 2000)
• (as Rakalam Bob Moses) – Father's Day B'hash (Sunnyside, 2009)
• Universal Folk Song (Ra-Kalam Records, 2012)
• Sacred Exhalations (Ra-Kalam Records, 2012)
• The Illuminated Heart (Ra-Kalam Records, 2012)

As co-leader

With Compost

• Take Off Your Body (Columbia, 1971)
• Life Is Round (Columbia, 1973)

With Open Sky (Trio with David Liebman and Frank Tusa)

• Open Sky (PM, 1973)
• Spirit in the Sky (PM, 1975)

Other collaborations

• with Dave Liebman and Eddie Gomez – Spirit Renewed (1982; Owl, 1991)
• with Billy Martin – Drumming Birds (ITM, 1987)
• Plunge – Falling with Grace (1995)
• (as Rakalam Bob Moses) with Greg Burk – Ecstatic Weanderings (Jazzwerkstatt, 2011)

As sideman

With The Free Spirits (Larry Coryell)

• Out of Sight and Sound (ABC, 1967)

With Gary Burton

• A Genuine Tong Funeral (RCA, 1967)
• Lofty Fake Anagram (RCA, 1967)
• Gary Burton Quartet in Concert (RCA, 1968)
• Ring (ECM, 1974)
• Dreams So Real (ECM, 1975)

With David Friesen

• Waterfall Rainbow (Inner City, 1977)

With Hal Galper

• Speak with a Single Voice (Enja, 1978)
• Redux 1978 (Concord Jazz, 1991)
• Children of the Night (1978, Double Time, 1997)

With Mike Gibbs

• Mike Gibbs Directs the Only Chrome-Waterfall Orchestra (Bronze, 1975)

With the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band

• Theatre (ECM, 1983)
• Happening Now! (HatArt, 1987)

With Steve Kuhn

• Motility (ECM, 1977)
• Non-Fiction (ECM, 1978)
• Playground with Sheila Jordan (ECM, 1979)
• Last Year's Waltz (ECM, 1981)

With Brian Landrus

• Everlasting (2008, CIMP, 2011)

With Pat Metheny

• Bright Size Life (ECM, 1976)

With Tisziji Muñoz

• Visiting This Planet (1980s, Anami Music, ?)
• Love Everlasting (Amulet, 1987)
• Spirit Man (Anami Music, 1995)
• Death Is a Friend of Mine (Anami Music, 1996)
• Alpha-Nebula: The Prophecies (Anami Music, 1997)
• Tisziji Muñoz Live! Great Sacrifice (Maha-Yajna) (Anami Music, 1999)
• Love at First Sound (Anami Music, 2004)
• Beauty as Beauty (Anami Music, 2008)

With Steve Swallow

• Home (ECM, 1979)

References

• Scott Yanow, Bob Moses at Allmusic