On the album, Cyrille is joined by saxophonists Oliver Lake and David Murray, pianist Adegoke Steve Colson, bassist Fred Hopkins, and percussionist Mor Thiam.

[1] In a review for AllMusic, Alex Henderson wrote: "the drummer leads an inspired, cohesive quintet... the performances are generally quite melodic; in fact, Ode is essentially an album of inside/outside post-bop... rather than ultra-radical, ultra-dissonant free jazz...

Although not as radical as some of Cyrille's other work, Ode to the Living Tree is an excellent CD that he should be proud of.

"[1] Willard Jenkins, writing for Jazz Times, called Cyrille "a vital and very much underrated percussionist and bandleader" who "always brings a sense of the Motherland to his music, whether exploring free landscapes, or structured outings like most on this date...

There is a feeling of Trane meets Sun Ra at the corner of Murray & Lake on this date as the spirits of those two grand masters are in the air.