The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow had awarded the album 4 stars stating, "a remarkable virtuoso who can seemingly do anything he wants on his horns. It is just a matter of passing time and accomplishments accumulating before Carter is thought of as one of the all-time greats... the dominant voice throughout is James Carter's, who in general is a little more restrained, which makes his fiery explosions and colorful tonal distortions really stand out. Recommended".[2]All About Jazz noted, "The album concept for James Carter's fifth release as leader is the familiar organ combo sound with earthy tenor saxophone. The concept works for the 29-year-old saxophonist, who still manages to retain the other elements with which his career has been associated: overt physical avant-garde taunts, swingin' Kansas City rambles, and polite mainstream lyricism"".[5] Critic Robert Christgau rated the album an "A−", saying, "Just by blowing so lustily and swinging so edgily, Carter puts out more personality and pleasure than all but a few musical word-slingers".[3]
Track listing
All compositions by James Carter except where noted.
"Lianmo" (Cassius Richmond) - 4:55
"Down to the River" (Traditional) - 4:04
"Don's Idea" (Don Byas) - 5:11
"Skull Grabbin'" - 6:36
"Odyssey" (Kenneth Green) - 8:00
"Trouble in the World" (Traditional) - 6:49
"Escape from Bizarro World" (Spencer Barefield) - 6:03
"Frisco Follies" - 6:43
"Lockjaw's Lament" - 7:29
"In Carterian Fashion" - 6:29
Personnel
James Carter - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet