Talking about the inspiration behind the reinterpretations, Ferry told Clash, "I've sort of gone back to the music that I liked listening to when I was a young lad, nine or ten years old - I was really fairly precocious for that time.

The introduction to an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery states: "In 1925, Josephine Baker and her troupe, 'La Revue Nègre', exploded on the Paris stage with a wild new dance called the Charleston.

Four years later, French poster artist Paul Colin, Baker's one-time lover and life-long friend, published a portfolio of vividly colored lithographs titled "Le Tumulte Noir" ("The Black Craze") which captured the exuberant jazz music and dance that dazzled Paris.

Reviewing for AllMusic, Thom Jurek said, "All 13 of these tunes have been wildly revamped and offer interesting textures", "...but the music here is played so well, it doesn't feel gimmicky."

But for the faithful, trad-jazz heads, and open-minded listeners, the musical quality -- from expert arrangements, virtuosic playing, and the brilliant concept -- offer something wholly different and rewarding.

"[10] In his Pitchfork review (2013) Ned Raggett considers the absence of Ferry's vocal, "If anyone is the lead "voice" throughout it would be [trumpeter Enrico] Tomasso or saxophonists Alan Barnes and Richard White, whose various solo turns on a number of songs take the place of the singing.