AllMusic awarded the album 4 star with the review by Thom Jurek, stating, "this is a brief but utterly captivating issue from one of the music's great composers and theorists that should not be missed by anyone interested in Towner, of course, but also in melodic improvisation and composition."[3]
The Penguin Jazz Guide said, "Time Line is a supremely professional record, mostly done in miniatures which couldn't be improved by so much as a note."[5]
Track listing
All compositions by Ralph Towner except where noted
^Morton, Brian; Richard Cook (2010) [1992]. The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1001 Best Albums. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (10th ed.). New York: Penguin. p. 709. ISBN978-0-14-104831-4.