The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars, stating, "Third Quartet is the third album by this rather astonishing group of musicians under guitarist and composer John Abercrombie's leadership. His collaborators: drummer Joey Baron, violinist Mark Feldman, and bassist Marc Johnson are all accomplished leaders in their own rights, but as they team with Abercrombie, something unusual, unwieldy, and utterly transformative takes place... This is a most welcome and beautiful addition to this particular group's musical language as well as their catalog".[2]The Penguin Guide to Jazz awarded it a "Crown" in addition to a four-star rating.[3]