The album's first track, "Sounds (Movin' On)", is 25 minutes in length and features an epic scat solo.

The use of the Academy Award-nominated classic "The Trolley Song", is a nod to the city of San Francisco, where the album was recorded.

The penultimate track is a fresh take on Rodgers and Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music, far different from the version by John Coltrane on his 1960 album of the same name.

"[2] Billboard magazine gave the album a lukewarm review on its release in 1980, saying that "She won't please all jazz fans - some of her affectations are annoying.

"[4] The Audience with Betty Carter was later included in an appendix to 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die.