[6] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group" category.

[9] Instead, the album was recorded in Oslo, Norway, in February 1989; it demonstrated a more acoustic sound than the band's previous efforts, relying less on synthesizers.

[13][14] The band sought to make the album as melodic as possible while still working within a traditional jazz setting.

[2] The Chicago Tribune wrote that The Spin "includes a few especially engaging cuts—'Storytellers' and a bebopish 'Whistle While You Walk', to name two—and some credible soloing by saxophonist Marc Russo.

"[20] The Vancouver Sun concluded that "there is an intellectual coolness to some of this talented quartet's jazz instrumentals that is almost cold.