The album features three performances by Taylor on piano with alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons, trumpeter Raphe Malik, violinist Ramsey Ameen, bassist Sirone and drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson.

In his liner notes, Spencer Richards recalled attending a five-hour rehearsal of the pieces at Taylor's home, during which he was surprised to see the players reading from printed music.

[4] The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings wrote: "This was a superb group, full of contrast but bursting with the spirit of Taylor's music and exultant in its ability to make it work...

"[6] Writing for Burning Ambulance, Phil Freeman described "Idut" as "an erupting music... offering solo piano passages..., duos and trios, and explosive sections involving the entire band", and compared the sound of the opening of the piece to that of an Elliott Carter string quartet.

Freeman remarked: "Unison passages, arising out of the overall storm of sound like rainbows arcing between thunderclouds, reveal the scored nature of this music and the intense, focused rehearsals Taylor called before the recording began.