The album was recorded in May 1961.[3] In addition to himself on piano, Russell's sextet contained trumpeter Don Ellis, trombonist Dave Baker, Eric Dolphy on alto sax and bass clarinet, Steve Swallow on bass, and
Joe Hunt on drums.[3] Three of the tracks were written by Russell.[4] It features a radical reworking of Thelonious Monk's standard "Round Midnight" with an extended solo by Eric Dolphy.[4]
The AllMusic reviewer described the album as "a true classic", and added that, "although using ideas from avant-garde jazz, it does not fall into any simple category".[4]The Penguin Guide to Jazz suggested that it was a good place in Russell's discography for a listener to start.[3]