Allmusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "The musicianship is at a high level and, although Sanders does not shriek as much as one might hope (the Trane-ish influence was particularly strong during this relatively mellow period), he is in fine form".[2]
The authors of
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings praised "Doktor Pitt," noting that it "makes the album," and calling it "a big-voiced, dramatic piece with some of Sanders's best playing from this period."[3]
Jazz Fuel's Matt Fripp included the album in his selection of "Ten Iconic Pharoah Sanders Albums," and commented: "His former mentor John Coltrane is clearly referenced in a straight ballad reading of the standard 'Easy To Remember', whilst a fiery uptempo modal original 'You've Got To Have Freedom' clearly shadows the approach of Coltrane's classic quartet of the early 1960s."[4]
Track listing
All compositions by Pharoah Sanders except as indicated
Tracks 1 & 2 recorded at The Maiden Voyage, Los Angeles from April 16–19, 1981. Tracks 3 & 4 recorded at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz on April 20, 1981. Track 5 recorded at the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco on April 12, 1981.
[3]