[1] On the album, Jenkins is joined by the members of his world music improvisation group, Driftwood: Min Xiao-Fen on pipa, Denman Maroney on piano, and Rich O'Donnell on percussion.

In a review for AllMusic, Michael G. Nastos wrote: "this collaborative quartet dubbed Driftwood indeed emphasizes instruments made of wood in nomadic improvisational pretexts.

Living up to its title, The Art of Improvisation features four bristling performances crafted in the moment by the highly attentive ensemble, merging and emerging through their shared creations.

"[2] Bill Shoemaker at Point of Departure stated: "New methods of structuring improvisations are devised daily; but rhythm remains one of the most reliable.

Taking the prompts of each movement to heart... Jenkins and his collaborators almost instantly coalesce as ensemble, while giving each musician enough space on an ongoing basis to truly add to the unfolding music.

"[4] Ken Waxman, writing for JazzWord, commented: the "players utilize decisive strategies plus consummate instrumental techniques to create improvisations that reflect all their backgrounds – and more – as well as modulations that don't fit traditional schema.