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Rashied Ali

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Rashied Ali, born Robert Patterson, was born on 1 July 1933 in Philadelphia and died on 12 August 2009. He was an American drummer in free jazz and the avant-garde, best known for his work with John Coltrane in the last years of Coltrane's life. His mother sang with Jimmie Lunceford, and his brother Muhammad Ali was also a drummer. He began as a pianist and came to the drums by way of trumpet and trombone. After his military service he studied with Philly Joe Jones and toured with Sonny Rollins.

Music and breakthrough

In 1963 he moved to New York, where he played with Bill Dixon and Paul Bley. From 1965 he recorded with Coltrane, beginning with Meditations. He also played on Interstellar Space, an album of duets from 1967, and on The Olatunji Concert, the last recording made of Coltrane. Coltrane described his playing as multidirectional rhythms. After Coltrane's death he played with Coltrane's widow Alice Coltrane. In the early 1970s he ran the loft club Ali's Alley and founded the label Survival Records.

Influence

His drumming is less a fixed pulse than a stream of sounds that moves around the soloist. Later he worked with Phalanx, with James Blood Ulmer among others, and with Jaco Pastorius. He also made records such as Duo Exchange from 1973 and Judgment Day with his own quintet. He played a major part in challenging what jazz could be.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Interstellar Space by John Coltrane and Rashied Ali. Notice that there are only saxophone and drums and that the drums do not give a fixed beat but continually follow and challenge the saxophone.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Categories: Artists