On the album, Thornton is heard on cornet, and is joined by saxophonists Arthur Jones and Archie Shepp, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, pianist Dave Burrell, bassists Beb Guérin and Earl Freeman, and drummers Sunny Murray and Claude Delcloo.

[3][4] The recording took place as part of a marathon week-long BYG session during which Shepp also recorded Yasmina, a Black Woman, Poem for Malcolm, and Blasé, and which also yielded albums by artists such as Sunny Murray (Homage to Africa and Sunshine), the Art Ensemble Of Chicago (Message to Our Folks and Reese and the Smooth Ones), Grachan Moncur III (New Africa), Alan Silva (Luna Surface), Dave Burrell (Echo), Andrew Cyrille (What About?

[7] In a review for AllMusic, Brandon Burke wrote: "This is some very free music and, save for a handful of scored passages, almost wholly improvised.

A number of the scene's top players make appearances here in different groups... At times the ensemble pieces sound like a Pan-African Morton Feldman, and at others, hazy, psychedelic post bop.

"[8] Writing for Black World/Negro Digest, Ron Welburn stated: "this music is like the old jam sessions, and is at the same time a celebration of the festival, best conveyed on 'Pan African Festival' through Burrell's piano vamps and Murray's unmatched rhythmic freshness and chanting.