This is a legacy film about the unique life of legendary drummer, composer, and artist Ra Kalam Bob Moses

About the Film

Ra Kalam Bob Moses has influenced generations of musicians and has played with Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Charles Mingus, and many other greats. Unfortunately, Moses recently received a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. My aim for this film is to help him tell his own story while there is still time.

The film will follow Moses’ journey from his early days jamming with jazz legends in New York to his rise as an artist who has transcended genres and styles. Moses is known for his albums Bittersuite in the Ozone and When Elephants Dream of Music, and for his contributions to Pat Metheny’s Bright Size Life, an album that was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry. Moses has developed a philosophy of “living music” by which he mentors musicians seeking creative freedom.

The most unconventional music lesson of my life led to this project. I went into the lesson knowing almost nothing about Ra Kalam. After drinking tea and talking some, I spent nearly 3 hours listening to him sing, play, and explain his philosophy of living music. The lesson ended with me picking out an album and watching him “contour” (dance). Years of reflecting on this lesson—and many lessons since—have helped me accept myself and not feel like I need to be anyone else. Since that lesson, I’ve spent almost 20 years cultivating a friendship and mentorship with Ra Kalam.

In September of 2023, we shot the heart of the documentary over a week in New Orleans. It included live performances, master classes, and a recording session in which Moses was joined by renowned musicians such as drummer Johnny Vidacovich, percussionist Bill Summers, and saxophonist Tony Dagradi. I conducted interviews and documented the conversations of these musical greats as they interacted.

Ra Kalam Bob Moses has impacted me in unpredictable artistic and spiritual ways. I want to tell his unique story in a way that is relatable to musicians and non-musicians alike. I’m so honored to get to make this film and share his story.

Thank you for your support!

  • Clifford Koufman

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Living Music Merch
“Drummer, composer, artist, poet, dancer, visionary, nature mystic: Bob Moses’s life has been a continuous quest for vision, spirit, compassion, growth, and mastery in a multiplicity of art forms.

A partial list of stellar musicians Bob Moses has worked and/or recorded with both as a leader and a sideman includes:

Charles Mingus, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Jim Pepper, Larry Coryell, The Free Spirits, Dave Liebman, Gary Burton, Keith Jarrett, Steve Swallow, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Paul Bley, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, Jaco Pastorius, Hal Galper, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Steve Kuhn, Sheila Jordan, Bobby McFerrin, Dave Sanborn, Bill Frisell, Eddie Gomez, Don Alias, John Scofield, Terumasa Hino, Dave Holland, Charlie Haden, Hermeto Pascoal, Jovinos Santos Neto, Danilo Perez, David Sanchez, Chucho Valdes, Jimmy Slyde, Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, Stan Strickland, Tiger Okoshi, Nana Vasconcelos, Obo Addy, John Medeski, Vernon Reid, DJ Logic, Badal Roy, Robert Pinsky, Sam Rivers, Pharoah Sanders, free master guitar genius Tisziji Munoz, and many others.”
— Zildjian Cymbals

  • "Bob Moses has an inspirational, one world approach to the music we play called jazz… he is a learned, erudite musician who has lots of fun on his many instruments. He is circumspect. He listens to the world around him and recreates it in a world of music, made in America, a national treasure."

    ~ Abbey Lincoln

  • "Everything I do, I want to swing. I think music needs to swing no matter how abstract it gets. In fact, the more abstract, the more intellectual it gets, the more it needs to swing because that's the balancing factor."

    ~ Ra Kalam Bob Moses

  • "With The Story of Moses, he has realized a masterwork of conception and sound. Adventure, originality, innovation and wisdom abound throughout this recording, an epic work by an ever growing and deepening artist. For me this is easily one of the most important and satisfying records of the past decade."

    ~ Pat Metheny

  • "Ra Kalam Bob Moses is a great and most loyal and humorous Spirit-friend… A great and most sympathetic, intuitive and multi-gifted musician, A great and most creative drummer, dancer and composer, A great and most grateful student of my heart sound teachings and blessings, and a great and most sensitive hearer of heart songs. In my tribe, this great spirit is known as Ra Khalam, Sun Sound."

    ~ Tisziji Muñoz

  • "It's always good to speak about a musician such as Bob Moses who has so much creativity, lightness and energy. He is without a doubt one of the greatest drummers in the world."

    ~ Hermeto Pascoal

  • "If you have witnessed his performances or his band leading you have been blessed."

    ~ Billy Martin

  • "As a personal friend and musical peer, I've collaborated with Bob and listened to him perform with some of the greatest names in Jazz. I feel that Moses is a fresh innovative artist who's talent deserves much wider exposure and recognition on the national and international creative music scene."

    ~ Jack DeJohnette

  • "He was my first mentor… Moses is a rarity in this period; a true individualist, uncompromising, far reaching in his concepts and in all ways a true artistic person."

    ~ David Liebman

  • "I am very grateful that Bob Moses landed at this place and time to grace our world with his openness, ingenuity, power, beauty, wit and immense creativity. His gifts to music are many. He inspired me when I was just starting to write and he continues to inspire me now. I'll always be anxious to hear where he takes us next."

    ~ Maria Schneider

  • "Bob Moses' playing is like the elements. Like the air he is everywhere and nowhere. He plays everything and nothing."

    ~ Thomas Hebb

  • Thank you great drum brother Clifford Koufman for your openness, generosity, compassion and for instigating this magical New Orleans project. This will be a chance to interact with some true musical luminaries. Full cast of characters still to be determined but it looks it will include saxophone greats Tony Dagradi, Jeff Coffin, Michael Adkins and Art Edmaiston. Trumpeter George Sams, guitarist Chris Alford and drummer/percussionists Johnny Vidacovich, Bill Summers Clifford Koufman and myself. I expect it will be some super soulful drumcentric sonic alchemy with no boundaries. Tentative title for the recording Spiritual Cosmic Gumbo. This will be a dream come true for me. Heartfelt thanks to any and all who contribute to making this happen. Love Always, Hu

    ~ Ra Kalam