Ra-Kalam Bob Moses (born January 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.
He is also the author of the drum method book Drum Wisdom .
Moses currently performs alongside John Lockwood, Don Pate, and John Medeski with noted guitarist Tisziji Muñoz and teaches at New England Conservatory.
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, 2012)Sacred Exhalations (Ra-Kalam, 2012)The Illuminated Heart (Ra-Kalam, 2012)Home in Motion (Ra-Kalam, 2012, recorded 1979)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 Gómez – 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) With The Free Spirits (Larry Coryell)
Out of Sight and Sound (ABC, 1967)Lady Coryell (Larry Coryell 1968)
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 Darius Jones
Man'ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing) (AUM Fidelity, 2009)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 (Anami Music, 1980's)Hearing Voices (Anami Music, 1980's)Love Everlasting (Amulet, 1987)Live! At Page Hall (Anami Music, 1993)Live Again! At Page Hall with Dave Liebman (Anami Music, 1994)Live Again! At Page Hall with Nick Brignola (Anami Music, 1994)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, 2005)Love Always: Spirit of the Ancient Masters (Anami Music, 2007)Incomprehensibly Gone (Anami Music, 2013)Beauty As Beauty (Anami Music, 2013)Beauty As Ugly (Anami Music, 2013)Ugly As Ugliest (Anami Music, 2013)Heart to Heart (Anami Music, 2013)Free Freedom (Anami Music, 2013)Omega Nebula: The Afterlife (Anami Music, 2014)Parasamgate Nebula: The Death of Death (Anami Music, 2014)Mountain Peak (Anami Music, 2014)Let The Sound Go Forth (Anami Music, 2014)Healing Waters (Anami Music, 2014)Taking You Out There! Live (Anami Music, 2014)Realization of Paradox: Melting the Mind of Logic (Anami Music, 2014)Heart Trance Revelation (Anami Music, 2014)The Anniversary Concert DVD (Anami Music, 2014)Maha Shiva: The Razor's Healing Edge (Anami Music, 2014)Sacred Function (Anami Music, 2014)The Paradox of Independence (Anami Music, 2014)Songs of Soundlessness (Anami Music, 2015)Genius Awakening (Anami Music, 2015)Spirit First and Last (Anami Music, 2015)The Paradox of Perfection (Anami Music, 2015)The Paradox of Completion (Anami Music, 2015)Alpha Nebula Expanded: The Monster Peace (Anami Music, 2015)Heaven Is Freedom (Anami Music, 2015)Dead Awake (Anami Music, 2015)Drop Dead (Anami Music, 2015)When Coltrane Calls! Session 1: Fierce Compassion (Anami Music, 2016)
With Steve Swallow
Home (ECM, 1979)