"[3] In a review for AllMusic, Brian Olewnick wrote: "Swift Are the Winds of Life represents one of the absolute finest examples of Jenkins' violin playing outside of his Revolutionary Ensemble and arguably one of Rashied Ali's greatest recordings aside from Interstellar Space, his legendary duo session with John Coltrane.

"[1] The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings called the album "a forgotten classic," and stated: "Jenkins is in astonishing form, complex, aery, earthy, ruthlessly direct by turns... the blues are never far away, and on 'The Stomp' the two players go for it in a joyously unfettered way.

"[4] Robert Palmer, writing for The New York Times, stated: "The two players are so resourceful, especially in their use of changing textures and densities, that their interactions retain a mesmerizing intensity and purpose from beginning to end, making this one of the essential recordings of the new jazz.

"[6] In an article for All About Jazz, Jack Gold-Molina remarked: "Here is an album that... features some blazing drum set playing on the part of Ali.

"[7] Henry Kuntz, writing for Bells, commented: "Historically, Ali's work on Interstellar Space... is his most important; if he doesn't actually go beyond those parameters here, he continues in largely the same vein.