The sessions were originally released on New Faces, New Sounds: Lou Donaldson–Clifford Brown (1953, BLP 5021) and Lou Donaldson Sextet, Volume 2 (1954, BLP 5055), respectively.
The AllMusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine states, "While Donaldson's tone isn't quite as full as it would be within just five years, he impresses with his bold, speedy technique and fine phrasing. He doesn't play anything out of the ordinary, but he plays it very, very well, and his playing is enhanced by the three stellar bands that support him on these sessions... Everyone plays in a straight bop and hard bop tradition, contributing fine performances to a strong debut effort by Donaldson."[1]