[3] Reviewing the album in Jazzwise, Duncan Heining described The Big Picture suite as "a series of miniatures" that is "remarkably concise, focused and magnificently performed".

[4] Michael Rosenstein wrote in a review of the album in Cadence that The Big Picture suite is made up of six short pieces that "act as episodic juxtapositions of the extremes of timbre and range of the saxophones".

[5] In Freedom in Fragments Rosenstein complimented the quartet's handling of Frith's "themes and tight arrangements", but did feel that the constraints of the composition leaves "little room for the group to stretch things much".

[5] Writing in The Wire, Julian Cowley called the Big Picture suite "a lively negotiation" between the Arte Quartett and the "less orderly improvised responses" of the guest pianist and drummer.

[2] In Freedom in Fragments he said the quartet "explore[s] unconventional techniques", plays "folksy" and "noir melancholy" tunes, and each member contributes an improvised solo.