It was recorded in June 1979 at Palm Studio in Paris, and was released on LP later that year by Moers Music.

[1][2] In a review for AllMusic, Brian Olewnick wrote that Mitchell "splits the date between two of his notable predilections: the abstract and the funky.

The former is represented in the two variations on the title theme that utilize the horns to develop spare, pointillistic patterns that emerge into and then escape out of drone-like textures...

Both are fairly successful ventures into structurally balancing composition and improvisation for a large group... 'Linefine Lyon Seven' is... good, ragged fun with the composer up front on alto... Sketches from Bamboo is worth seeking out for the Mitchell fan, although newcomers can gain easier access elsewhere.

"[3] The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings stated: "The first 'Sketches' is a compelling, slowly collecting composite of horn lines and the second seeks to amplify that tendency into what is, at the end, a vast, swirling collage that is nevertheless very precisely directed and sustained... for the vividness of the first two tracks, this is well worth having.