On the album, Wright is joined by saxophonist Noah Howard, pianist Bobby Few, and drummer Muhammad Ali.

In a review for Jazzwise, Daniel Spicer wrote: "Some albums are so much of their time that they serve as historical documents just as much as musical recordings.

Following John Coltrane's death in 1967, the promise of his journey into spiritually charged free jazz was enthusiastically taken up by the so-called 'second wave' of free jazz musicians... One For John is the quintessential session.

"[6] Bradford Bailey of The Hum stated: "Made with a stellar ensemble... it's hard to imagine these sessions could have ever failed or become anything other than what they are – absolutely stunning... it's one of the definitive effort within the collaborations which unfolded within France at the end of the 60s and the outset of the 70s.

"[7] Writing for Burning Ambulance, Phil Freeman noted that the album was recorded while Wright was at his peak, and that, along with his appearances on Uhuru na Umoja and Howard's Space Dimension, it is "his best work.