[9] Despite having been offered only a one-way ticket, Ayler accepted the terms with the goal of exposing his music to a wider audience, given the bleak prospects and lack of interest in the United States.

The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4.5 stars stating: "The band... had been playing Ayler's tunes for months and were uncanny in their ability to hear one another and improvise together at that point...

These cats play together with the kind of intuition and foresight only a seasoned group can; they understand the nuances of the language they are speaking and know how to offer those to the listener emotionally, musically, and even culturally.

"[15] Concerning the chemistry between the members of the quartet, Val Wilmer wrote: "The more lyrical extrovert Cherry, with his quick-thinking and open mind, was the ideal partner for Ayler's loosely assembled melodies and darker moods.

[9] Regarding The Hilversum Session, Schwartz stated that it "seems more like a live performance in the openness of the players' approach, with more energy in the rhythm section and more simultaneous blowing by the horns.