Billboard : 02/17/1962
Four stars

Quincy Jones, one of the country’s top arrangers and orksters in both the jazz and pop fields, should enhance his jazz rep with this happily swinging album. A strong collection of tunes, both originals and standards, style arrangements, and potent solos add up to solid jazz here. The arrangements are by Jones, the solos by Freddie Hubbard, Oliver Nelson, Phil Woods and Joe Newman.

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HiFi / Stereo Review
Nat Hentoff : June, 1962

Although he is now on Mercury’s artist-and-repertoire staff, Quincy Jones also continues to function as an arranger and occasional bandleader. The nucleus of the shifting personnels for the three big-band session here consists of sidemen who work with him regularly when he does have club and concert dates. As a result, the performances reflect the unity and case of long association.

The quintessence of Mr. Jones as an arranger and composer is simplicity. His melodic lines are always drawn clearly, and harmonic textures are never allowed to mask or overburden the melodic development. Soloists are led in and out of the pattern with a flowing naturalness that recalls the Count Basie band of the late 1930s. Jones is indeed a modern traditionalist, having fused rhythmic and melodic elements of the swing era with more sophisticated contemporary harmonic language. Although he is an adroit consolidator of jazz traditions, Jones’ writing does not have enough tension to hold this listener’s attention. But there is no denying the warmth, orderliness, and wit that also characterize his work.

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High Fidelity
John S. Wilson : June, 1962

Quiny Jones‘ writing has a fascinating mixture of melodiousness and guttiness, and he manages to get much these same qualities from the musicians who play with him here. The ensembles are rich-voiced, and the soloists rise from them as though they were riding on a streak of lightning. The two most notable solo men – and they seem to enliven almost every big-band record made in New York these days – are Phil Woods, who has matured into a superbly lyrical alto saxophonist without losing any of his lithe drive, and Joe Newman, whose rasping, shouting trumpet style invigorates any piece he moves into. A fine big-band set.

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Kitchener-Waterloo Record
Trev Bennett : 04/21/1962

Never was an album more appropriately named. The concentrated efforts of a variety of musicians like Phil Woods, Oliver Nelson, Thad Jones, Freddie Hubbard and Joe Newman, combined with the talents of arranger-conductor Quincy Jones, produces superb results – a brilliant album. Although the musicians are all top jazz and studio men, Jones deserves credit for his fine charts. The opening track, Quintessence, written by Quincy and blown solo by altoist Woods against the background of the 21-piece orchestra, is intoxicating. Woods does a beautiful job on this one in particular. Robot Portrait offers a generous sample of today’s hard-driving, modern jazz. Tenorist Nelson and trumpet Hubbard shine here. Actually, the whole album is packed with swinging, spontaneous improvisations and ensembles.

This is another gem, and a feather in the cap for Impulse!

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San Francisco Chronicle
Ralph J. Gleason : 03/18/1962

The other LP is Quintessence by Quincy Jones. Jones is of the most gifted young arrangers and composers in jazz and has for most of the past two years led his own big band. he was unable to keep it together, however, and in the past couple of months has specialized in studio dates for himself as an accompanist for other artists.

Here he has reassembled a large band (actually there are three versions of the same basic band) and cut eight numbers all of which, except for Invitation, are jazz compositions by Jones, Billy Byers, Benny Golson and Thelonious Monk.

The group gets a very good feeling throughout. Phil Woods is present on this LP also and again is very impressive. Curtis Fuller and Joe Newman are featured on a fine version of Monk’s tune Straight, No Chaser and there is an interesting duet between Thad Jones and Freddie Hubbard on Hard Sock Dance. Frankly, this is the most successful of all of Jones’ big band albums to my way of thinking.

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Vancouver Province
Brian McLeod : 02/14/1969

As far as records go, I listened to yet another of the Impulse Label’s 1961 era jazz recordings, and once again found myself in the big band bag, specifically in the realm of one Quincy Jones.

Depending on which side is played first, the listener stands a fair chance of either shrugging his shoulders and saying “so what” or getting into some of the best of big band arrangements ever recorded, without all the schmaltz left over from the thirties and forties.

Despite the fact Jones is better known in these movie score days as a composer, only a few of the cuts are his. One of these is excellent while the others are nominees for the blasé award.

The Quintessence cut is a good is a good one, full of nice jazz reflections, the kind that turn on your girlfriend or help you over the blues.

Although I dispute that album’s claim that his is the concentrated essence of jazz, it is at least an indication of one form of jazz balladry. Phil Woods‘ sax chorus is beautifully done and keeps the otherwise cascading arrangement in motion.

Aside from Quintessence, the only other interesting cut on the album from a mood change point of view is Bronislau Kaper’s Invitation, a theme more than a little reminiscent of his renowned Green Dolphin Street.

This particular work is full of the sensuality and exotica of the night, giving that scene a very human personality, complete with the surprises and expectation inherent in going to see something pleasing but unknown.

Latin rhythms, a harp, a flute, and a movingly beautiful melody in seconds, followed by a haunting, straight melody taken by Clark Terry on trumpet add up the elements which, as a whole, dwarf their fellow cuts on the session.

Taken as a unit, the album is representative of the big band of the early sixties. There is little of the solo element, with the exception of some brief Oliver Nelson, Freddie Hubbard and Phil Woods interludes.

And although some of the arrangements are boss, others are plainly rehashed 1940. A maybe for the mainstream fan.

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Down Beat : 05/10/1962
Don DeMichael : 4 stars

Quincy Jones is too often underestimated as a bandleader. When he was struggling to keep a big band working, many thought of him as a fine Basie-style arranger fronting a large group of star sidemen. What some of us missed (me included) was that Jones was more than an arranger-front man; he is one of the few jazzmen able to pull a band together and get it to produce something more than the sum of its parts.

I realized this when I began listening to this record.

There are three different bands here, each made up of a different personnel and instrumentation; yet the performances vary but a mite from track to track. The big constant factor is Jones. As evident on this album, he has the ability to get musicians to pull together with precision and power in a minimum amount of time – there is little time for rehearsal at a recording date.

In addition to his organizational powers, Jones contributed some fine arrangements. His writing for the brass on Quintessence and Invitation, a lustrous, exotic tune, should serve as an object lesson to those who would write for large brass sections without getting swamped in unswinging pretension.

Robot gets a a good heavy feel with touches of Duke Ellington. On the other hand, Jones’ treatment of Benny Golson‘s Karen is properly gentle (the tune was inspired by a child) and smooth-textured. Sock is one of those catchy tunes that Jones seems to think up with little effort. Robot, Karen, and Sock use a favorite Jones device, the small band within a big band.

Wilkins arranged Straight, though he receives no liner credit. His score builds from a theme statement by what sounds like muted trumpet and trombone over strong Hinton bass to a roaring ensemble. Solos by Fuller and Newman are followed by an ensemble bristling with power.

The only other track not arranged by Jones is Twitch, done without credit by Byers. Byers also uses a small band (with Terry‘s trumpet adding much to the ensemble) within the large ensemble. The most striking part of the arrangement is Byers’ use of bass in opposition and in harmony and unison with the other instruments. Catlett is excellent in the part.

Most of the soloists measure up to the arrangements. Woods‘ fiery jazz-cry alto peppers Quintessence tastefully. Woods also is heard in contrast to Nelson on Invitation – a sort of sour-sweet exchange. Nelson does some tall preaching on tenor on Robot, but Dixon takes tenor honors for his virile work on Karen. Hubbard is fine on Robot, contributing an easily swinging, melodic solo. Newman is heard on several tracks; his Twitch effort is particularly joyous.

There are weaknesses in the album, most of them minor (for instance, not all the solos are of high order), but one is serious – the Martin–Scott-Catlett rhythm section sounds shaky, especially on Lena.

Nonetheless, this album is an essential for the collection of big-band fans.

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Liner Notes by Lena Horne and Lennie Hayton

About the Music:
Lennie Hayton
Quintessence: The title song, written by composer-conductor Quincy Jones, bears out the definition given by the dictionary: “the pure concentrated essence of anything; vital or essential part.” The latter part of the definition also applies to the sax playing of Phil Woods from ad libitum to final cadenzae.

Lena Horne
CADENZAE? What he means is that at the end of this (kind of) sexy arrangement Phil Woods ends the piece with some tasty sounds. Quintessence, to me, also means that Quincy is “then end.” Maybe the word should be changed to Quincyessence.

Lennie Hayton
Robot Portrait: The orchestra features predominantly rhythmic patterns when performing either as an ensemble tutti or as an accompaniment to the tenor sax soloing of Oliver Nelson or the trumpet soloing of Freddie Hubbard.

Lena Horne
RHYTHMIC PATTERNS? Listen!!! The orchestra, like the band and the soloists, swings down to the last (as you know who always says) semi-, demi-quaver.

Lennie Hayton
Little Karen: She may be small but she’s energetic and runs the gamut from the abridged but intense orchestra to the vigorous tenor sax playing of Eric Dixon all the way to the concluding powerful ensemble.

Lena Horne
INTENSE, VIGOROUS, POWERFUL? Yes, indeed! Quincy’s Little Karen starts soft and builds to a strong but relaxed finish. An easy swinging piece.

Lennie Hayton
Invitation: [Artist16006,Bronislau Kaper], an associate of mine when we were both composing musical scores for motion pictures, has written another tune which I believe will be a popular with jazz aficionados as was his Green Dolphin Street. His harmonic sequences as well as his melodic lines always forma fine foundation for personal orchestral and solo interpretations. I think you’ll agree with me when you listen to the solos of the alto flute, French horn as well as the sax soloing of, firstly, Oliver Nelson on tenor and Phil Woods on alto. Also note the fine blending in the orchestra of French horns, trombones and trumpets with the saxophones.

Lena Horne
BRONISLAU? That fellow who’s writing on the left side of the page has often conducted the music of our friend “Bronnie” at the studios. The soulness of the flute and the French horns, the warmth of the sax solos and the sensuousness of the whole arrangement move you – any place you want to be moved.

Lennie Hayton
Straight, No Chaser: Thelnoious Monk‘s fine composition in a fresh, new Allegretto treatment. Another strongly rhythmic oscillation in the orchestra which is reiterated as an accompaniment to the fine soloing of Trombonist Curtis Fuller and Trumpeter Joe Newman.

Lena Horne
A piece that’s really cooking. Everything swings: the trombone, the trumpet, and finally the whole band.

Lennie Hayton
Hard Sock Dance: An interesting orchestration starting pianissimo and building to a fortissimo. The introduction by the drums heralds the trumpet solists Freddie Hubbard and Thad Jones. After their individual introductions they divide the next section of the piece by following each other’s phrases back and forth. The orchestra then returns to its fortissimo playing, gradually diminishing to a pianissimo by reversing the opening procedure. (These trumpet solos might be interpreted as a musical portrayal of a “challenge” dance between two protagonists.)

Lena Horne
You’d better know it! And those PROTAGONISTS, they’re something else.

Lennie Hayton
The Twitch: Written by Billy Byers. A “swinger” like, man, everyone’s blowin’ and stretchin’ – the flute, bass, the “end” horn of Joe Newman, the reeds, Bobby Scott‘s piano, the whole band – and I’ve almost blown and stretched my top trying to write my bit with a “square” dignity. What it all adds up to is another “New Wave” swingin’ album.

Lena Horne
GET HIM!!!!

For Lena And Lennie: What a great compliment and what an honor to have such a wonderful piece written and dedicated to us! But then, everything about Quincy Jones is great – his compositions, his understanding of musicians and his conceptions and ideas of presenting new albums. This album is an example. He has great knowledge of how to mix the various sections of his orchestra. His intermingling of French horns with the brasses and reeds shows great imagination. Last but not least, he is a good friend.