Ride in the Chariot

This exciting traditional spiritual, most probably drawing on the belief that the Old Testament prophet Elijah rode in a chariot of fire to heaven (2 Kings 2:11), is both a statement of joy and a plea for mercy with the coming of the Revelation. Most often heard as a solo, this choral setting infuses gospel and jazz chord structure into the traditional spiritual genre, resulting in a melting pot of colors influenced by the masters of past (e.g., Hall Johnson, William Dawson) and present (e.g., Moses Hogan, Roland Carter).