Bob Moses is one of my favorite drummers. My friend, Nashville drummer Clifford Koufman, is currently making this film and is raising funds via Indie GoGo. In 1976 Bob Moses was the drummer on Pat Metheny’s first album, ‘Bright Size Life’ which also featured a young Jaco Pastorius on bass. You can listen to this on the YouTube link below. All drummers need to hear this recording of one of the greatest drummers in the world. Bob influenced me so much. I listen to this album every week. -George Lawrence
This is a film about groundbreaking drummer, composer, and artist Ra Kalam Bob Moses—one of the great musicians of all time. Growing up in the heart of the New York music scene, in the company of iconic musicians like Art Blakey, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, and Charles Mingus (whom he was jamming with by the time he was 13), Ra Kalam is among the legends who have shaped modern music.
He has played on historic records, including Pat Metheny’s Bright Size Life, and performed or recorded with fellow luminaries Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, Gary Burton, Jack DeJohnette, Carla and Paul Bley, Steve Swallow, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, John Scofield, Steve Kuhn, Pharoah Sanders, Todd Rundgren, John Medeski, Bobby McFerrin, and more.
Not content to limit himself to the realm of jazz music, Ra Kalam has created his own style and philosophy of “living music,” transcending from music maker to innovator. He has dedicated much of his life to sharing this philosophy with students and fellow musicians, with a mission to help great musicians of different genres find freedom in their expression.
Ra Kalam has received a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis and we are working hard to help him tell the story of his life and incredible musical journey while we still have him with us.
What have we accomplished so far?
Since last year, we have completed most of the filming for this project. We’ve conducted interviews with Pat Metheny, Gary Burton, Steve Swallow, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Summers, and Peter Erskine, as well as many of Ra Kalam’s other musical colleagues, protegés, and personal connections.
Last September we spent an amazing week in New Orleans filming Ra Kalam recording, playing concerts, and interacting with legendary New Orleans musicians including Bill Summers, Johnny Vidacovich, and Tony Dagradi. He also gave masterclasses, passing some of his wisdom along to a new generation of hopeful musicians.
Since then we've traveled to several locations including Richmond, VA, to record a session with Ra Kalam and his spiritual mentor Tisziji Muñoz, and to Miami to interview the great vibraphonist and bandleader Gary Burton. We’ve also conducted Zoom interviews with many of those whom we couldn’t meet in person.
In this process, we have launched a self-contained production company, which has enabled us to film any time a cool opportunity arises, rather than having to hire crews and rent gear for every shoot. This has given us access to more intimate moments.
We have purchased two Netflix-approved cameras, a powerful computer, several high-capacity hard drives, and other necessary equipment, as well as paying for studio time, musicians, travel expenses, etc. We’ve put a couple hundred collective hours into learning Davinci Resolve, the film editing software that we are using for this project.
The depth and wealth of Ra Kalam’s creativity as a musician, composer, artist, and human are astounding. We have some amazing interview footage with a who’s-who of musicians, all of whom have had glowing things to say about him. And we can’t wait to share his story with you!
What’s left to do?
This summer we’re doing more on-location filming and interviews, including a week and a half in New York to fill in the last major pieces of the puzzle: visiting the areas where Ra Kalam grew up and lived among the pillars of Jazz music, documenting some of his favorite stories, and interviewing his longtime friends and family members.
After that, we begin post-production. At this point we will be focused on editing the hundreds of hours of footage we’ve captured and distilling it down to the most essential clips that will tell this story in the best way possible.
We’ll continue consulting with film industry experts on next steps and best practices, and will be working to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s as far as funding, rights, distribution, etc.
Our goal is not just to share this story with as many people as possible, but to do it in a personal, compelling way that captures the essence of Ra Kalam in all his colorful facets. Ultimately, we want him to be recognized alongside his peers for all his contributions to music and culture.
About the Filmmaker
This project is being spearheaded by filmmaker Clifford Koufman, who is a Nashville drummer, percussionist, visual artist, and educator. Clifford has interviewed more than 100 artists and creatives in his series ClifChats. He has developed a close relationship with Ra Kalam as a student, mentee, and friend over 18+ years. They have bonded not only over music but also over their common experiences as single fathers raising sons.
Where Your Contribution Will Go
Our total fundraising goal is $75,000. This amount will enable us to finish the film. We will also continue to seek funding through other means, such as grants, sponsorships, and/or investors. We recognize that, while we can get this film to the finish line, hiring some seasoned veterans—including an editor, colorist, and sound engineer—will help us elevate this film to the highest quality.
For this campaign, our estimated expenses are as follows:
Equipment/Software: $17,500
Most of the funds raised in our last campaign went to pay for filming in New Orleans, including paying for studio time and musicians, as well as purchasing our first camera (the A Cam). All the other equipment and software have been purchased out of pocket and need to be reimbursed. In addition, we need more hard drives to handle the sheer volume of top-quality footage we are capturing.
Crew: $12,000
For the last year, our small but mighty crew have been working for free. This amount won’t begin to compensate for everyone’s time, but every little bit will help as we get into the next stage, which will involve even more time away from other jobs/commitments.
Editing: $15,000
This will help with basic film editing. The going rate to edit a feature-length film is much higher, but we are willing to put in as much work as we need to to get this done. That said, we know this film will greatly benefit from hiring an experienced, professional editor.
Color Grading: $10,000
This is a starting price for professional color grading. It’s likely this will cost much more. The more money we raise, the more we can put into making this a top-quality film.
Sound: $5,000
This will get us in the door for audio editing.
Legal: $5,000
The nature of this film, mixing new and archival footage as well as using both recorded and live musical works, requires us to seek professional legal help with all our contracts and to make sure all rights and royalties are accounted for. We will also seek counsel before working with any potential investors or distribution deals.
Travel expenses: $3500
This will cover some of our remaining travel expenses for on-location filming, including the upcoming shoots in New York.
Admin: $7,000
The Indiegogo platform will take a significant percentage of the funds we raise. This amount will also cover miscellaneous expenses, such as marketing and promotional materials.
What You’ll Get
As a thank you for your contribution, you will receive a gift of:
$25 Donation: Online film screening
$75 Donation: Online film screening, digital download code for an album from Ra Kalam’s extensive catalog
$150 Donation: Online film screening, signed CD selected from Ra Kalam’s catalog (limited number available, $25 shipping fee added for orders shipped outside USA)
$500 Donation: Online film screening, signed CD, Zoom concert and Q&A with Ra Kalam
$1,000 Donation: Online film screening, signed CD, Zoom concert and Q&A with Ra Kalam, Living Music t-shirt featuring Ra Kalam’s original artwork
$5,000 Donation: Online film screening, signed CD, Zoom concert and Q&A with Ra Kalam, Living Music t-shirt, limited edition signed poster featuring Ra Kalam’s original album artwork
$10,000 Donation: Online film screening, signed CD, Zoom concert and Q&A with Ra Kalam, limited edition hoody, limited edition signed poster featuring Ra Kalam’s original album artwork, your name in film credits (Friend)
$20,000+ Donation: Online film screening, signed CD, Zoom concert and Q&A with Ra Kalam, limited edition hoody, limited edition signed poster featuring Ra Kalam’s original artwork, your name in film credits (Patron), behind-the-scenes Zoom call with film director and crew
Contributions of any size, even small, will help us reach our goal. Just click on the “See Options” button to enter your own amount. If our monetary goal is not reached, we will use what funds we do have to create the best documentary we can.
The Impact
This is a story that needs to be told. Much has been made (and rightly) about some of the great names in music—and particularly in the history of jazz. But the story of Ra Kalam Bob Moses has never been told like this. His is a must-know name for any music lover. Your contribution will help us educate others on his importance to the world of Western music.