Clif Koufman is a Nashville-based percussionist, educator, and filmmaker whose work bridges improvised music, West African rhythmic traditions, and visual storytelling. He founded Sound & Rhythm Studio in 2000, dedicating more than two decades to rhythm-based education, performance, and creative collaboration.

Clif has studied intensively with West African master drummers Mamady Keïta, Famoudou Konaté, and Bolokada Condé, deepening his understanding through immersive time in West Africa, including recent work in Bolokada Condé’s home village of Morowaya filming Bolokada’s upcoming educational video series.

As a percussionist, Clif has recorded with Jeff Coffin, Danny Gottlieb, Jeff Sipe, and Ra Kalam Bob Moses. Obviously, Clif loves playing with drummers. He produced and filmed a collaborative New Orleans session centered around Ra Kalam Bob Moses, joined by Johnny Vidacovich, Bill Summers, and Tony Dagradi. He has also worked with Grammy-winning artists and filmed performances at the Grand Ole Opry.

Clif has interviewed Jack DeJohnette, Steve Swallow, Paul Shaffer, Pat Metheny, and many others—continuing the work he began with Clif Chats, where he interviewed over one hundred leading creatives exploring their lives, ideas, and artistry. He is the director of Living Music, an unscripted portrait of Ra Kalam Bob Moses filmed across New Orleans, NYC, Memphis, Hawai‘i, and beyond—now in post-production.

He has toured internationally, received grants for community-engaged rhythm projects, and continues to explore rhythm as a pathway to presence, creativity, and connection.