The weather still looked miserable.... We couldn't do a sound check so there we were, in little faux-backstage unheated (or cooled) rooms with no bathrooms, gazing tiredly out at the rain, which persisted as though it was a permanent feature of the landscape.

Since this music was an unwitting gift from the sun to us, I pass it on - a little, flawed gem of sweet swinging in the rain—from the three of us to you, our faithful listeners for more than 20 years.

[2] In a review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek wrote: "For a trio that has been together this long (over 20 years), Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette still play with the enthusiasm of a group of people discovering each other for the first time.

"[3] Writing for The Guardian, John Fordham commented: "'If I Were a Bell' is taken at an almost absent-minded mid-tempo trot (though with a fascinating passage in which the pianist drags back the tempo to the edge of disruption), but 'Butch and Butch' cranks up into a characteristic stream of contrasting sequences in which Jarrett expands one motif, steadies himself, finds another, and rockets off in a different direction, while Jack DeJohnette crackles irrepressibly beneath him... 'My Funny Valentine' is a lazy wash of rhapsodic phrasing and cymbal whispers, and the bop classic 'Scrapple from the Apple' finds DeJohnette set a completely contrasting arhythmic pulse against the pianist's doodly, preoccupied skirting around the melody.

"[5] The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings stated: "The title is cheerfully defiant... even if he hadn't suffered debilitating illness, Jarrett's energy and concentration here would be remarkable.

The pianist has a predilection for punchy melodies mixed with rippling runs, keeping a constant eye on the idea of song... the sound is outstanding for an outdoor live performance in the rain... Up For It reveals a barely palpable gap between expectation and reality.

He really is one [of] the most melodic of all improvisers... Gary Peacock's bass playing is impeccable and Jack DeJohnette's drumming is utterly sophisticated and intelligent.

This album, which marks the trio's 20th anniversary, is a welcome reminder that long creative partnerships in jazz are an important source of some of the most remarkable music.

"[8] Writing for Between Sound and Space, Tyran Grillo called the album "one of the liveliest of lives for the Keith Jarrett Trio" and commented: "Up For It celebrates two decades behind the wheel of this purring vehicle.