It features an extended work that Threadgill composed as a tribute to cornetist and composer-conductor Lawrence D. Butch Morris, who died in 2013.

[1] The Pitchfork review by Seth Colter Walls states, "Despite the fact it doesn’t contain a single note of his own searing saxophone playing, Old Locks and Irregular Verbs remains pure Threadgill—and a highlight in career stocked with more than a few classics.

"[5] In a review for Stereophile, Fred Kaplan says about the album, "It's his true career milestone, one of the great jazz compositions of the past several years, a musical masterpiece beyond category.

"[6] The Down Beat review by Bill Meyer notes, "Threadgill doesn’t attempt to shape the music on the fly the way Morris did, but ensures that the transitions from full-band statements to smaller interactions occur without loss of momentum or clarity.

"[7] The All About Jazz review by Dan Bilawsky says, "Threadgill's masterful blend of the independent and interdependent is alive and well in Old Locks and Irregular Verbs.