 Morris and Threadgill were old friends and colleagues on the New York City jazz scene; they both performed on "Ming" (1980) by David Murray.Threadgill formed a new band for the occasion named Ensemble Double Up, a septet where he doesn't play, but instead conducts.The "Pitchfork" review by Seth Colter Walls states, "Despite the fact it doesn’t contain a single note of his own searing saxophone playing, "Old Locks and Irregular Verbs" remains pure Threadgill—and a highlight in career stocked with more than a few classics."