"[12] Origami Harvest consists of six lengthy tracks adding up to a full hour of interplay between the classical strings of the Mivos Quartet, Akinmusire on trumpet and keyboards, Marcus Gilmore on drums, and Sam Harris on piano.

The band also includes the poet and rapper Victor Vazquez, a former member of Das Racist known by his stage name Kool A.D.[13] The songs explore such themes as a response to societal divides, the way our politics hold us emotionally hostage, and the ever-growing list of black lives ended by structural racism.

[14] The lyrics for penultimate track "Free, White and 21" consists of the names of African American people slain in recent years by members of law enforcement or the neighborhood watch.

[6] Matt Collar of AllMusic added: "Origami Harvest, is an ambitious work that finds the trumpeter blending seemingly disparate elements -- including spoken word, classical chamber music, free improvisation, and hip-hop rhythms -- into a textured if often laborious mix... Origami Harvest may not work for everybody, but for those who take the time to explore the unexpected bends and folds in Akinmusire's construction, a wealth of discoveries can be found".

[2] Davis Whiteis of JazzTimes commented: "It’s become relatively common for jazz artists to incorporate elements of hip-hop into their work, but the fourth studio outing by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire is one of the more provocative of these mash-up projects to have emerged thus far... Vocabularies, syntaxes, and aesthetic conceits that heretofore might have been considered incompatible meld together in a true “freedom jazz dance” for a new age".