[4] For ECM he has contributed to many albums, including John Surman's Such Winters of Memory (1983), Dino Saluzzi's Once Upon a Time - Far Away in the South (1986) and Paul Giger's Alpstein (1991).

[10] The space in Eicher's production were said by Thom Jurek of AllMusic to provide "an unhurried sense of time's stasis," thus making the album "all the more appealing" in that it slowly brings listeners through the recording.

However, to lighten things, soprano saxophone is used instead of bass clarinet at times, while harp and guitar are added to the mix; plus, of course, Favre's precise and light drums and percussion.

[14] Barry Witherden of BBC Music Magazine feels it is the bass, drums, guitar and harp which combine to "carry the pulse" against the strong rhythmic backdrop on all seven compositions.

"[14] Regardless, Steve Futterman of Jazz Times writes that Favre's "selfless adherence to big-picture equilibrium" means that he rarely feels like the band leader.

[13] "Panama" is the most melodic track, with figures from the harp and double bass accompanied by hand percussion, before giving way to a flash of cymbals announcing a more ethereal section where the guitar approximates a melody.

"[11] Witherden detected the influence of Tudor music on the piece,[15] while Kopman more broadly wrote that the song creates tension via its constant shift "between Renaissance dance and African polyrhythms.

Though expressing a "niggling complaint" in that Kroll's piping soprano saxophone "can land the quirky group sound back in overly familiar ECM territory," he nonetheless felt the combinations of the other instruments were imaginative and help distinguish the project from other jazz albums.

[11] Barry Witherden of BBC Music Magazine called Fleuve one of Favre's "most captivating albums" and wrote that "it is the agreeable melodies and the ingenious, fresh and attractive voicings that distinguish the session.

"[15] All About Jazz correspondent Budd Kopman felt that Fleuve highlights that Favre not only masters his own instrument but also "has complete command in the fields of composition and arrangement."