Featuring 13 short tracks consisting of original tunes, standards, and free improvisations, it was recorded on January 30, 1996, at Koeienverhuur (Rent-a-Cow) Studio in Purmerend, Holland, and was released later that year by the Canadian Songlines label.

[1][2][3] AllMusic's Joslyn Layne called the album "a hearty, exploratory meeting," and wrote: "While not as wowing as some of Bennink's other duo work... this 1996 studio recording captures the good interaction of two excellent creative musicians.

"[1] The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings praised the duo's rendition of "Cherokee", calling it "vividly comic but also deeply felt.

"[6] Whitehead also included the album in MTV's list of ten recommended recordings of Dutch jazz, and commented: "the trumpeter's iron chops allow him to stand up to Bennink's onslaught on drums, although Bennink also spends a lot of time clogging, wooden shoes clattering on the studio's concrete floor.

"[4] Author Todd Jenkins described the album as "bracing," calling "Alap" "introspective and magnificent," and writing: "a sizzling undercurrent of electricity courses through most selections.