The
Allmusic review noted "This is an odd record. ... The pianist/composer Lennie Tristano, with whom Marsh had a long relationship, evidently decided the only valuable moments from the sessions were these solos, so he simply excised everything else and presented them as self-contained pieces. For the general listener, this, of course, creates some problems. No themes are heard (though many of the pieces are standards), so the basis for the improvisation can often only be guessed at, and, obviously, any sense of wholeness is by the boards. On the other hand, Marsh's tenor playing is supple, silvery, and generally luscious ... So while the normal jazz listening experience is necessarily lacking, those who want a chance to hear Marsh in isolation (including, presumably, students of the saxophone) might find this release to be a valuable document". John Litweiler of
Downbeat awarded the album 5 stars and wrote: "Despite the excellence of his other recordings and his current eminence as the major soloist of Supersax, this is very nearly the definitive Marsh record, the "distilled essence" of one of the most brilliant and significant creators of our time." == Track listing ==