{{short description|American jazz drummer (born 1948)|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{for|the electronic duo|Bob Moses (band)}} {{for|the civil rights activist|Bob Moses (activist)}} {{BLP sources|date=April 2013}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Bob Moses | image = Ra_Kalam_Portugal_2.jpg | alias = Ra-Kalam Bob Moses | birth_name = Robert Laurence Moses | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|1|28}} | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | genre = Jazz, avant-garde jazz | occupation = Musician, composer, bandleader | instrument = Drums, percussion | years_active = 1964–present | label = Gramavision | past_member_of = The Free Spirits, Gary Burton bands, Michael Gibbs Big Band, Steve Kuhn bands }}
'''Robert Laurence Moses''' (born January 28, 1948)<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=1761}}</ref> is an American jazz drummer.
== Biography == He was born in New York, United States.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Moses played with Roland Kirk in 1964–65 while he was still a teenager.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> 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, including drumming for the Grammy-nominated album ''Gary Burton Quartet in Concert''.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> He played on the landmark 1967 Burton album ''A Genuine Tong Funeral'', but due to creative disputes with the album's composer Carla Bley, he was credited as "Lonesome Dragon".<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Ethan |last=Iverson |author-link=Ethan Iverson |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/a-lifetime-of-carla-bley |title=A Lifetime of Carla Bley |magazine=The New Yorker |department=Culture Desk |date=May 13, 2018}}</ref> Moses and Bley would later reconcile and he became a vocal booster for her music.
Moses 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).<ref name="LarkinGE"/> In the early 1970s he was a member of Compost with Harold Vick, Jumma Santos, Jack Gregg and Jack DeJohnette.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
His first release as a leader was 1968's ''Love Animal''. His second release was 1973's ''Bittersuite in the Ozone''. His records for Gramavision in the 1980s were critically acclaimed.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
He is the author of the drum method book ''Drum Wisdom'', published in 1984.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Moses |first1=Bob |last2=Mattingly |first2=Rick |date=1984 |title=Drum Wisdom |publisher=Modern Drummer}}</ref>
Moses performs alongside John Lockwood, Damon Smith, Jaap Blonk, Don Pate, and John Medeski with guitarist Tisziji Muñoz and teaches at New England Conservatory.
In 2022, he recorded a trio album with the Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen and Slovenian guitarist Samo Šalamon entitled ''Pure and Simple'', after Šalamon had an extensive interview with him.<ref>{{cite AV media|first1=Samo |last1=Salamon |series=Dr. Jazz Talks |volume=116 |date=September 15, 2021 |title=Samo Šalamon & Bob Ra-Kalam Moses interview |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCH_81dvzd4&t=8s |work=YouTube |access-date =2026-01-02 }}</ref>
== Discography == ===As leader=== * ''Bittersuite in the Ozone'' (Mozown, 1975) * ''Tributaries'' with Richard Sussman, Andy LaVerne (Inner City, 1979) * ''Family'' (Sutra, 1980) * ''When Elephants Dream of Music'' (Gramavision, 1983) * ''Visit with the Great Spirit'' (Gramavision, 1984) * ''The Story of Moses'' (Gramavision, 1987) * ''Drumming Birds'' with Billy Martin (ITM, 1987) * ''Wheels of Colored Light'' (Open Minds, 1992) * ''Time Stood Still'' (Gramavision, 1994) * ''Devotion'' (Soul Note, 1996) * ''Love Everlasting'' with Tisziji Muñoz (Amulet, 1999) * ''Nishoma'' (Grapeshot, 2000) * ''Love Animal'' (Amulet, 2003) * ''Meditation on Grace'' with Michel Lambert (FMR, 2008) * ''Father's Day B'hash'' (Sunnyside, 2009) * ''The Illuminated Heart'' (Ra-Kalam, 2012) * ''Ecstatic Weanderings'' with Greg Burk (Jazzwerkstatt, 2012) * ''Ultra Minor'' with Jon Catler (FreeNote, 2018)
'''With The Free Spirits''' * ''Out of Sight and Sound'' (ABC, 1967) * ''Live at the Scene, February 22nd 1967'' (Sunbeam, 2011)
'''With Compost''' * ''Take Off Your Body'' (Columbia, 1971) * ''Life Is Round'' (Columbia, 1973)
'''With Open Sky'''<br /> (Trio with Dave Liebman and Frank Tusa) * ''Open Sky'' (PM, 1973) – rec. 1972 * ''Spirit in the Sky'' (PM, 1975)
===As sideman=== '''With Gary Burton''' * ''Lofty Fake Anagram'' (RCA, 1967) * ''A Genuine Tong Funeral'' (RCA, 1968) * ''Gary Burton Quartet in Concert'' (RCA, 1968) * ''Ring'' (ECM, 1974) * ''Dreams So Real'' (ECM, 1976)
'''With Michael Gibbs''' * ''In the Public Interest'' (Polydor, 1974) * ''Directs the Only Chrome-Waterfall Orchestra'' (Bronze, 1975) * ''Big Music'' (Venture, 1988) * ''By the Way'' (Ah Um, 1993)
'''With Steve Kuhn''' * ''Motility'' (ECM, 1977) * ''Non-Fiction'' (ECM, 1978) * ''Playground'' (ECM, 1980) * ''Last Year's Waltz'' (ECM, 1982)
'''With Dave Liebman''' * ''Drum Ode'' (ECM, 1975) * ''Homage to John Coltrane'' (Owl, 1987) * ''Spirit Renewed'' (Owl, 1991)
'''With Steve Marcus''' * ''Tomorrow Never Knows'' (Vortex, 1968) * ''Count's Rock Band'' (Vortex, 1969) * ''The Lord's Prayer'' (Vortex, 1969)
'''With Tisziji Muñoz''' * ''The Paradox of Independence'' (Anami Music, 2014) * ''When Coltrane Calls! Session 3: Living Immortality'' (Anami Music, 2015) * ''Scream of Ensoundment'' (Anami Music, 2017)
'''With others''' ''(listed chronologically)'' * Roland Kirk, ''I Talk with the Spirits'' (Limelight, 1965) * Larry Coryell, ''Lady Coryell'' (Vanguard, 1968) * Danny Kalb, ''Crosscurrents'' (Cotillion, 1969) * Terumasa Hino, ''Hino's Journey to Air'' (Love, 1970) * Todd Rundgren, ''Runt'' (Ampex, 1970) * Paul Bley, ''The Paul Bley Synthesizer Show'' (Milestone, 1971) * Gunter Hampel, ''Ballet-Symphony No 5, Symphony No. 6. The Music of Gunter Hampel'' (Birth1971) * Pat Metheny, ''Bright Size Life'' (ECM, 1976) * David Friesen, ''Waterfall Rainbow'' (Inner City, 1977) * Gil Goldstein, ''Pure as Rain'' (Chiaroscuro, 1977) * Roland Kirk, ''Kirk's Work'' (Mercury, 1977) * Ernie Krivda, ''Satanic'' (Inner City, 1977) * Ernie Krivda, ''The Alchemist'' (Inner City, 1978) * Franco Ambrosetti, ''Close Encounter'' (Enja, 1978) * Hal Galper, ''Speak with a Single Voice'' (Century, 1979) * Steve Swallow, ''Home'' (ECM, 1980) * Aki Takase, ''ABC'' (Union Jazz, 1982) * George Gruntz, ''Theatre'' (ECM, 1984) * Emily Remler, ''Transitions'' (Concord Jazz, 1984) * Emily Remler, ''Catwalk'' (Concord Jazz, 1985) * Tony Dagradi, ''Sweet Remembrance'' (Gramavision, 1987) * George Gruntz, ''Happening Now!'' (hat ART, 1988) * Torsten de Winkel, ''Torsten de Winkel Acoustic Quartet'' (Hot Wire, 1991) * Hal Galper, ''Redux '78'' (Concord Jazz, 1991) * Torsten de Winkel, ''Tribute: Talking to the Spirits'' (Hot Wire, 1993) * Kustomized, ''The Battle for Space'' (Matador, 1995) * Paul Bley, ''Circles'' (Milestone, 2004) * Brian Landrus, ''Forward'' (Cadence, 2009) * Darius Jones, ''Man'ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing)'' (AUM Fidelity, 2009) * Brian Landrus, ''Everlasting'' (CIMP, 2011) * Kari Ikonen, ''Ikonostasis'' (Ozella, 2017) * Bukky Leo, ''Spaceships over Africa'' (Ra Kalam, 2017) * Vinny Golia & Henry Kaiser, ''Astral Plane Crash'' (Balance Point, 2018) * Burton Greene, Damon Smith, ''Life's Intense Mystery'' (Astral Spirits/Monofonus, 2019) * Henry Kaiser, ''More Requia'' (Metalanguage, 2019) * Samo Salamon, Arild Andersen & Ra Kalam Bob Moses, ''Pure and Simple'' (Samo, 2022) * Kyle Quass and Damon Smith, ''The Harmony of Things as They Are'', (off-label, 2023) * Samo Salamon, Vasil Hadžimanov & Ra Kalam Bob Moses, ''Dances of Freedom'' (Samo, 2024) * Samo Salamon & Ra Kalam Bob Moses, ''Dream Suites Vol. 1'' (Samo, 2025)
==References== ;Footnotes {{Reflist}}
;General references * Scott Yanow, [{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p7183|pure_url=yes}} Bob Moses] at AllMusic
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Moses, Bob}} Category:1948 births Category:Living people Category:American jazz drummers Category:Drummers from New York (state) Category:20th-century American drummers Category:American male drummers Category:20th-century American male musicians Category:American male jazz musicians Category:The Free Spirits members Category:Compost (band) members Category:Gramavision Records artists