Robert Laurence Moses (born January 28, 1948) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

drummer.

Biography

He was born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. Moses played with

Roland Kirk Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...

in 1964–65 while he was still a teenager. In 1966, he and

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist, widely considered the "godfather of fusion". Alongside Gábor Szabó, he was a pioneer in melding jazz, country and rock ...

formed

The Free Spirits The Free Spirits was an American band credited as the first jazz-rock group. The band also incorporated elements of pop and garage rock. Their first album, '' Out of Sight and Sound'', was recorded in 1966 and released in 1967. History The ban ...

, a

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...

ensemble, and from 1967 to 1969 he played in

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz Vibraphone, vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused ...

's quartet, including drumming for the Grammy-nominated album '' Gary Burton Quartet in Concert''. He played on the landmark 1967 Burton album '' A Genuine Tong Funeral'', but due to creative disputes with the album's composer

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936 – October 17, 2023) was an American jazz composer, pianist, organist, and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she gained acclaim for her jazz opera ''Escalator ...

the drummer was credited as "Lonesome Dragon". 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 David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received a ...

/Open Sky,

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...

, Mike Gibbs,

Hal Galper Harold Galper (born April 18, 1938) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, educator, and writer. Biography He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Galper studied classical piano as a boy, but switched to jazz wh ...

Gil Goldstein Gil Goldstein (born November 6, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American jazz pianist and accordionist. He has won 5 Grammy Awards and he was nominated 8 times. Biography He began studying accordion at age 5 after noticing it in The Lawrence ...

Steve Swallow Steve Swallow (born October 4, 1940) is an American jazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and Carla Bley. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar. ...

Steve Kuhn Steve Kuhn (born March 24, 1938) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator. He is the composer of the jazz standard " The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers". Biography Kuhn was born in New York City, New York, to S ...

Sheila Jordan Sheila Jordan (born Sheila Jeanette Dawson; November 18, 1928) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. She has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to recording her own albums. Jordan pionee ...

(from 1979 to 1982),

George Gruntz George Gruntz (24 June 1932 – 10 January 2013) was a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist, and composer known for the George Gruntz Concert Big Band and his work with Phil Woods, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker ...

, and

Emily Remler Emily Remler (September 18, 1957 – May 4, 1990) was an American jazz guitarist, active from the late 1970s until her death in 1990. Early life and influences Born in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Remler began playing guitar at age ten. She li ...

(from 1983 to 1984). In the early 1970s he was a member of

Compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...

with

Harold Vick Harold Vick (April 3, 1936 – November 13, 1987) was an American jazz saxophonist and flautist. Biography Harold Vick was born on April 3, 1936, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. At the age of 13, he was given a clarinet by his uncle, Prince Rob ...

, Jumma Santos, Jack Gregg and

Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd (jazz musician), Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, B ...

. 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. He is the author of the drum method book ''Drum Wisdom''. Moses performs alongside John Lockwood,

Damon Smith Damon Smith (born October 17, 1972) is an American free improvising bassist. He has worked with Cecil Taylor, Peter Brötzmann, Marshall Allen, John Tchicai, Elliott Sharp, Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, Jim O'Rourke etc. Biography Smith spent his c ...

Jaap Blonk Jaap Blonk (born 1953, Woerden) is a Dutch avant-garde composer and performance artist. Blonk is primarily self-taught both as a sound artist and as a visual/stage performer. Jaap Blonkat Allmusic He studied physics, mathematics, and musicology ...

, Don Pate, and

John Medeski Anthony John Medeski (born June 28, 1965) is an American jazz keyboard player and composer. Medeski is a veteran of New York's 1990s avant-garde jazz scene and is known popularly as a member of Medeski Martin & Wood. He plays the acoustic piano ...

with guitarist

Tisziji Muñoz Tisziji Muñoz (born July 15, 1946) is an American jazz guitarist. He served as drummer in the 440th U.S. Army band. He left the US Army in 1969. In the 1970s, he lived in Canada and New York City. He played in Pharoah Sanders' band. In 1978, h ...

and teaches at

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

. In 2022, he recorded a trio album with the Norwegian bassist

Arild Andersen Arild Andersen (born 27 October 1945) is a Norwegian jazz musician bassist, known as the most famous Norwegian bass player in the international jazz scene. Career Andersen was born at Strømmen, Norway. He started his musical career as jazz g ...

and Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon entitled ''Pure and Simple''.

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

(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

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

* '' Out of Sight and Sound'' (ABC, 1967) * ''Live at the Scene'' (Sunbeam, 2011) – live

As sideman

With

* '' Lofty Fake Anagram'' (RCA, 1967) * '' A Genuine Tong Funeral'' (RCA, 1968) * '' Gary Burton Quartet in Concert'' (RCA, 1968) * ''

Ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

'' (

ECM ECM may refer to the following: Economics and commerce * Engineering change management * Equity capital markets * Error correction model, an econometric model * European Common Market Mathematics * Lenstra's Elliptic curve method for factor ...

, 1974) * ''

Dreams So Real Dreams So Real was an American alternative rock band from Athens, Georgia, who gained national exposure in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They recorded three albums, including two releases on Arista Records. History The trio was led by songw ...

'' (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

* ''

Motility Motility is the ability of an organism to move independently using metabolism, metabolic energy. This biological concept encompasses movement at various levels, from whole organisms to cells and subcellular components. Motility is observed in ...

'' (ECM, 1977) * ''

Non-Fiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...

'' (ECM, 1978) * ''

Playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

'' (ECM, 1980) * '' Last Year's Waltz'' (ECM, 1982) With

* ''

Drum Ode ''Drum Ode'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Dave Liebman recorded in May 1974 and released on ECM the following year. The ensemble, thirteen strong, consists guitarist John Abercrombie, pianist Richard Beirach, bassist Gene Perla, ...

'' (ECM, 1975) * ''Homage to John Coltrane'' (Owl, 1987) * ''Spirit Renewed'' (Owl, 1991) With

Steve Marcus Steve Marcus (September 18, 1939 – September 25, 2005) was an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Marcus was born in The Bronx, New York, United States. He studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, between 1959 and 1961 ...

* ''Tomorrow Never Knows'' (Vortex, 1968) * ''Count's Rock Band'' (Vortex, 1969) * ''The Lord's Prayer'' (Vortex, 1969) With

* ''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 *

, ''

I Talk with the Spirits ''I Talk with the Spirits'' is a 1965 album by American jazz musician Roland Kirk. Kirk plays only flutes for this album, not the saxophone or other instruments he commonly used. It contains the first appearance of the song "Serenade to a Cuckoo" ...

'' (Limelight, 1965) *

, ''

Lady Coryell ''Lady Coryell'' is the debut album by jazz fusion guitarist Larry Coryell, recorded when he was 25. Reception Lady Coryell was mostly ignored upon release but later received positive reviews. Robert Christgau gave the album a B+, stating, "Lar ...

'' (Vanguard, 1968) * Danny Kalb, ''Crosscurrents'' (Cotillion, 1969) *

Terumasa Hino is a Japanese jazz trumpeter. He is considered one of Japan's finest jazz musicians. His instruments include the trumpet, cornet, and flügelhorn. Early life He was born in Tokyo, Japan, and his father was a trumpeter and tap dancer. Hino start ...

, ''Hino's Journey to Air'' (Love 1970) *

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophistica ...

, ''

Runt In a group of animals (usually a litter of animals born in multiple births), a runt is a member which is significantly smaller or weaker than the others.. Owing to its small size, a runt in a litter faces disadvantage, including difficulties in c ...

'' (Ampex, 1970) *

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

, '' The Paul Bley Synthesizer Show'' (Milestone, 1971) * Gunter Hampel, ''Ballet-Symphony No 5, Symphony No. 6 The Music of Gunter Hampel'' (1971) *

, ''

Bright Size Life ''Bright Size Life'' is the debut album by Pat Metheny, recorded in December 1975 and released on ECM March the following year. The trio features rhythm section Jaco Pastorius and Bob Moses. Background The songs for ''Bright Size Life'' were ...

'' (ECM, 1976) *

David Friesen David Friesen (born May 6, 1942) is an American jazz bassist. He plays double bass and electric upright bass. Career Friesen began playing bass while serving in the United States Army in Germany. He played with John Handy and Marian McPartl ...

, ''Waterfall Rainbow'' (Inner City, 1977) *

, ''Pure As Rain'' (Chiaroscuro, 1977) * Roland Kirk, '' Kirk's Work'' (Mercury, 1977) *

Ernie Krivda Ernie Krivda (born February 6, 1945, in Cleveland, Ohio as Krvda Ernö) is a jazz saxophonist, flutist, bandleader, and educator. Ernie Krivda, who is of Hungarian and Sicilian heritage, began his professional career in 1963 with the Jimmy Do ...

, ''Satanic'' (Inner City, 1977) * Ernie Krivda, ''The Alchemist'' (Inner City, 1978) *

Franco Ambrosetti Franco Ambrosetti (born 10 December 1941) is a jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer. He was born in Lugano, Switzerland; his father, Flavio Ambrosetti, Flavio, was a saxophonist who once played opposite Charlie Parker.Close Encounter In ufology, a close encounter is an event in which a person witnesses an unidentified flying object (UFO) at relatively close range, where the possibility of mis-identification is presumably greatly reduced. This terminology and the system of cla ...

'' (Enja, 1978) *

, ''Speak with a Single Voice'' (Century, 1979) *

, ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

'' (ECM, 1980) *

Aki Takase (born January 26, 1948) is a Japanese jazz pianist and composer. Biography Takase was born in Osaka and started to play piano at age 3. Raised in Tokyo, she studied classical piano at Toho Gakuen School of Music.Ankeny, Jaso"Artist Biography". ...

, ''ABC'' (Union Jazz, 1982) *

, ''

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

'' (ECM, 1984) *

, '' Transitions'' (Concord Jazz, 1984) * Emily Remler, ''

Catwalk A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons. This is where ...

'' (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 Records, 2017) *

Vinny Golia Vinny Golia (born March 1, 1946) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist specializing in woodwind instruments. He performs in the genres of contemporary music, jazz, free jazz, and free improvisation. Career As a composer, Golia fuses ...

& Henry Kaiser, ''Astral Plane Crash'' (Balance Point, 2018) *

Burton Greene Burton Greene (June 14, 1937 – June 28, 2021) was an American free jazz pianist born in Chicago, Illinois, though most known for his work in New York City. He explored multiple genres, including avant-garde jazz and the Klezmer medium. Biogra ...

, Damon Smith, ''Life's Intense Mystery'' ( Astral Spirits/Monofonus 2019) *

Henry Kaiser Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 – August 24, 1967) was an American industrialist who became known for his shipbuilding and construction projects, then later for his involvement in fostering modern American health care. Prior to World War II, ...

, ''More Requia'' (Metalanguage, 2019) * Samo Salamon,

& Ra Kalam Bob Moses, ''Pure and Simple'' (Samo Records, 2022) * Samo Salamon, Vasil Hadžimanov & Ra Kalam Bob Moses, ''Dances of Freedom'' (Samo Records, 2024) * Samo Salamon & Ra Kalam Bob Moses, ''Dream Suites Vol. 1'' (Samo Records, 2025)

References

;Footnotes ;General references *

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

, Bob Mosesat

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moses, Bob 1948 births Living people American jazz drummers Drummers from New York (state) 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians The Free Spirits members Compost (band) members Gramavision Records artists