[1][2][3][4] In a review for DownBeat, Bill Meyer called Abrams "a versatile instrumentalist," noting that "the intention here is to showcase [his] compositions using a jazz-rooted vocabulary," and stating that the track titled "Look Through It" "brings to mind the yearning way that the John Coltrane Quartet had with a ballad (circa 1963).

"[8] Referring to the album title, John Sharpe of All About Jazz stated: "in one sense, the procedure of improvisation is an attempt to unlock new things which we don't think we know.

"[5] JazzWord's Ken Waxman commented: "Envision Bags & Trane if bassist Paul Chambers was leading the session and the program played was all his compositions.

That's a simple way to imagine the achievements of this disc, although the most known unknown on this Chicago-recorded session is that without legend emulation, the bassist-leader and crew have created a high-gloss, well-paced CD that's comfortable (post) modern without being too experimental.

"[7] Peter Margasak of the Chicago Reader included the recording in his list of "ten favorite albums of jazz and improvised music led by Chicagoans" for 2013.