Going to the Ritual

Going to the Ritual
Going to the Ritual
Live album by Henry Grimes and Rashied Ali
Released	2008
Recorded	2007
Venue	WKCR studios
Genre	Jazz
Label	Porter Records; PRCD - 4005
Producer	Margaret Davis
Rashied Ali chronology

Going to the Ritual is a live album by bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Rashied Ali. It was recorded in 2007 in concert at WKCR studios, Columbia University, New York City, and was released by Porter Records in 2008.^[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
All About Jazz	^[2]

In a review for AllMusic, Michael G. Nastos wrote: "In one of the last recordings before he passed away, drummer Rashied Ali proves with every slash, riff, and paradiddle why he belonged in the pantheon of improvising percussionists well past his time with John Coltrane. In duets with well-matched partner and bassist Henry Grimes, this set shows how locked in these natives of Philadelphia... are with their estimable heritage in making free jazz that still sounds fresh some 50 years after the movement was founded. There's a rambling kind of empathy, focused but rarely intense that is clear from the outset."^[1]

Writing for All About Jazz, Glenn Astarita commented: "What might be considered a bold move, given the scanty bass and drums format, the duo separates the boys from the men via the polyrhythmic flows featuring emotive voicings and changeable parameters... The duo generates an abundance of scrappy workouts amid an amalgamation of explorative exchanges throughout the preponderance of this vibrant and curiously interesting set. No doubt, only a select few could pull this off. It's a marvel of inventiveness, sparked by the artists streaming creative juices and synergistic interplay."^[2] In a separate review for the same publication, John Sharpe remarked: "Though sustaining interest over 55 minutes with just bass and drums might seem an impossibility, the two veterans carry it off with aplomb... the subtext is that they nonetheless benefit from common ground and the capacity for instant design that comes from hard-won experience."^[3]

Track listing

"Hidden Forces Aggregate" (Ali) - 17:47
"Easternal Mysticism, Virtue and Calm" (Grimes) - 1:22
"Gone Beyond the Gate" (Grimes) - 25:45
"This Must Have Always Happened" (Grimes, Ali) - 10:31

Personnel

Henry Grimes – bass, violin, voice
Rashied Ali – drums

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Nastos, Michael G. "Henry Grimes: Going to the Ritual". AllMusic. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Astarita, Glenn (January 27, 2009). "Henry Grimes / Rashied Ali: Going To The Ritual". All About Jazz. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
^ Sharpe, John (June 8, 2008). "Henry Grimes Twofer: The Power Of Light & Going To The Ritual". All About Jazz. Retrieved January 31, 2022.

[allmusic-1] Nastos, Michael G. "Henry Grimes: Going to the Ritual". AllMusic. Retrieved January 31, 2022.

[aaj-2] Astarita, Glenn (January 27, 2009). "Henry Grimes / Rashied Ali: Going To The Ritual". All About Jazz. Retrieved January 31, 2022.

[3] Sharpe, John (June 8, 2008). "Henry Grimes Twofer: The Power Of Light & Going To The Ritual". All About Jazz. Retrieved January 31, 2022.

[1]

v t e Henry Grimes
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.
Studio albums	The Call (1965) Solo (2008)
Live albums	Live at the Kerava Jazz Festival (2004) The Power of Light (with Oluyemi Thomas, 2006) Going to the Ritual (with Rashied Ali, 2007) Opus de Life (with Andrew Cyrille and Paul Dunmall, 2008) Spirits Aloft (with Rashied Ali, 2009) The Tone of Wonder (2013)