The editors of AllMusic awarded the album 4½ stars, and reviewer Scott Yanow wrote: "The generally fascinating music rewards repeated listenings but one has to have an open mind before putting it on".[2]
The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings noted that, although Hemphill was not able to perform on the album due to health concerns, "this is unmistakably Hemphill's group and Hemphill's music."[3]
Jim Macnie of Billboard stated that Hemphill's arrangements "were always intricate, belying the natural earthiness that they often conjure. Sometimes stereotyped as a radical, Hemphill's tunes nonetheless could contain outright beauty."[5]
Track listing
All compositions by Julius Hemphill
"Band Theme" - 5:38
"Mr. Critical" - 3:44
"Shorty" - 6:49
"Mirrors" - 5:49
"Five Chord Stud" - 13:46
"The Moat and the Bridge" - 7:20
"Georgia Blue" - 5:48
"Flush" - 7:51
"Spiritual Chairs" - 7:12
Recorded at Sear Sound in New York City on November 18 & 19, 1993