On the album, Ali and Blue are joined by saxophonists Marvin Blackman and James Vass, pianist Charles Eubanks, and bassist Benny Wilson.

According to Ali, shortly after the session, the vocalist was beaten to death with a pipe following a domestic quarrel, and his body was dumped on the street.

[4] Ali stated that Blue "was the only one of the younger cats who was singing from the heart," and reflected: "He was really articulate in his words, and if you listen to his songs, you can really hear where we was coming from.

"[5] In a review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek called the album an "all but lost gem, which, in a late modern context, reveals the true roots of jazz," and wrote: "In these seemingly 'straight' blues tunes, a jazz quintet is being itself, stretching the tunes, offering overtones as possibilities, and moving it on over into another space entirely, while firmly remaining a band that backs a blues singer.

"[8] Author Will Hermes singled out "Moontipping" for praise, calling it "the record's most magical moment," with "Ali's scatter-groove conjuring both swing and clave without pledging allegiance to either, Royal Blue floating above.