In his review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow states: "These lyrical explorations move forward without a pulse and, once one gets used to the "style" (or lack of), they reward repeated listenings."[2]
The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz wrote: "Son of Sisyphus... is superior in almost every regard... The overriding impression is of space and movement and there's a sense in which Dixon's melancholically graceful soloing follows Cecil Taylor's much-quoted assertion that his own improvisations imitate the leaps that a dancer makes in space."[3]
Elliott Sharp called the recording "one of [Dixon's] best albums as leader" and included it in his list "Ten Free Jazz Albums to Hear Before You Die".[5]
