[3]: 171  He was scheduled to be the second drummer alongside Elvin Jones on John Coltrane's free jazz album Ascension, but he dropped out just before the recording was to take place.

Ali also briefly formed a non-jazz group called Purple Trap with Japanese experimental guitarist Keiji Haino and jazz-fusion bassist Bill Laswell.

[12] In 1985, Ali performed with the band There Goes the Neighborhood with Jaco Pastorius, Jorma Kaukonen, Doug McClean, Whitie Melvin, and Ben Prevo.

Other artists of the orchestra and Cosmic Legends have included Hayes Greenfield (sax), Perry Robinson (clarinet), Wayne Lopes (guitar), Dave Douglas (trumpeter), Gloria Tropp (vocals), Louise Landes Levi (sarangi), director/pianist Sylvie Degiez along with poets and actors Ira Cohen, Taylor Mead, and Judith Malina.

A double album entitled Judgment Day was recorded in February 2005 and features Jumaane Smith on trumpet, Lawrence Clark on tenor saxophone, Greg Murphy on piano, and Joris Teepe on bass.

With Afro Algonquin (Lee Rozie, Rick Rozie, Ali) With By Any Means (Charles Gayle, William Parker, Ali) With Prima Materia With Gary Bartz With Peter Brötzmann With Michael Bocian With Marion Brown With Alice Coltrane With John Coltrane With Hal Galper With Rudolph Grey With the John Lewis Sound With Jackie McLean With Tisziji Munoz With David Murray With Phalanx With Henry Rollins With the Saheb Sarbib Quintet With Archie Shepp With Alan Shorter With Andrew Sterman With Stoker With the Joris Teepe Big Band With James Blood Ulmer With Frank Wright