Gaia Wilmer & Ra Kalam Bob Moses - Dancing With Elephants (2025) [Hi-Res]

Dancing with Elephants is a bold and imaginative collaboration between legendary percussionist and improviser Ra Kalam Bob Moses and Brazilian saxophonist-composer Gaia Wilmer. The project began when Moses invited Wilmer to compose music over his pre-recorded percussion improvisations, or “sonic beds.” These tracks, recorded in his Boston home studio, provided a deeply textured and spontaneous rhythmic foundation.

Wilmer, known for her inventive arrangements and deep roots in Brazilian and New York jazz scenes, selected grooves that resonated with her and meticulously composed pieces around them—mapping every second to allow space for improvisation, as Moses requested. Despite delays due to the pandemic, the album was finally recorded in 2023 in Brooklyn with a close-knit ensemble of collaborators from Wilmer and Moses' musical circles.

Featuring ten musicians—including flutist Yulia Musayelyan, vocalist Song Yi Jeon, saxophonists George Garzone and Neta Raanan, and keyboardist Leo Genovese—the album fuses Moses’ free-form percussion with Wilmer’s sophisticated arrangements. The result is a genre-defying, deeply expressive album that reflects the creative strengths of both artists, blending global rhythms, jazz improvisation, and compositional daring into a singular artistic statement.

Tracklist:
1 Dancing With Elephants
2 Leaving With The Herd
3 Turning The Tide
4 Finding Water
5 When They Meet
6 Blue Desert
7 Jellyfish Lake
8 Whales Part To Play
9 Chase Machine
10 Finding Water (Take 2)