[1][2][3][4] The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings called the album "tightly constructed" and "a fine achievement."

They wrote: "The playing is consistently fascinating... the track titles here are entirely abstract... and the music has something of that quality as well.

"[5] Peter Margasak of the Chicago Reader stated that the album "proves that Rivers's ferocity is undiminished," and commented: "Certain passages recall his free-bop playing of the 60s, but frequently the music burns hotter than anything he's done, marked by his usual thoughtfulness and depth.

"[8] A writer for the Orlando Sentinel noted that the album "should cause considerable excitement in jazz circles everywhere because the new material represents a whole period of artistic growth that has not yet been documented.

"[9] In a column for the CMJ New Music Report, Mac McCaughan included the album in his "artists' personal picks.