Billboard : 02/23/1957
Score of 85

Quincy Jones is one of the best things that has happened to jazz in many years… a young arranger-composer who can write modern, but with an understanding of the basic, timeless spirit of the idiom. He properly appreciates the blues and the importance of forceful solos in an arrangement. It’s all here in this excellent album, one in a strong ABC-Paramount release. Best solos are by trumpeter Art Farmer and tenorman Lucky Thompson, both giants – and by Gene Quill, Phil Woods, J. Cleveland, Zoot Sims and Charlie Mingus. Plenty of name talent here to sell, and an excellent cover to display. This will sell if demonstrated. Try A Sleepin’ Bee.

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Cashbox : 03/23/1957

Jazz arranger Quincy Jones ahs brought together some prominent jazz names for 6 sessions based on Jones’ ideas. The foundation is swing, and with plenty of room for solo parts by such men as Lucky Thompson (tenor sax), Hank Jones (piano) and Art Farmer (trumpet), the air is clean and inventive. Side 2 contains 3 original compositions by Jones. Impressive work.

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Army Times
Tom Scanlan : 03/02/1957

ABC-Paramount, a comparatively new label, is releasing a good many jazz LPs of unusual interest. Of the most recent ones, one of the best is by Quincy Jones.

Unlike a good many other young modern jazzmen known primarily as “arrangers,” Quincy Jones seems to have a deep appreciation of what makes jazz. In other words, his writing comes over as jazz music, not as something resembling, approximating, or reminding you of jazz music, as is the case with many young contemporary arrangers, notably some who have gained a certain amount of fame because of their work for Stan Kenton.

I think Sermonette on this album illustrates that point. Put simply, it is “modern,” if that’s the word, and “down home” at the same time. The “feel” of the thing may remind you of standbys such as Sweethearts on Parade, Saints Go Marchin’ In, or even something not generally associated with jazz such as Give Me That Old Time Religion, and yet is somehow distinctive. In any event, the jazz feel is apparent. With the help of some excellent muted horn by Art Farmer, Jones manages to fuse successfully “traditional” and “modern” jazz sounds, if keywords must be used. At this writing, I have played this track about ten times and it has not become stale yet. I don’t think it will. As Jones writes on the liner notes, “if you can forget your rules of ‘HIPology’ for a moment, I think you’ll dig this tune.”

Evening in Paris, something quite different, also is well worth hearing. It may or may not be great jazz, but it is certainly satisfying music.

Four other tunes complete the album. Personnel ranges from 15 to nine pieces and the excellent trumpet playing of Famer is much in evidence throughout. Vibes man, identified as “Brother Soul,” identified as “Brother Soul” is probably Milt Jackson, at least it sounds like Jackson to me. The rhythm section is not my kind of rhythm section, but like a good many guitarists I am admittedly old hat on this matter. I prefer to hear a section sound rather than a bass and cymbal separately. In any event, this is an album well worth hearing. Sidemen include such pros as Jimmy Cleveland, Urbie Green, Herbie Mann, Billy Taylor, Lucky Thompson, Charlie Mingus and Paul Chambers.

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Saturday Review
Whitney Balliett : 03/16/1957

A relaxed demonstration of the talents of Quincy Jones, who is one of the most original of the younger arranger-composers. There are three standards and three Jones originals, and three different groups – a big band, a nonet, and a tentet. Manny of the same men appear in all three, and some are A. Farmer, L. Thompson, H. Jones, P. Woods, C. Persip, U. Green, J. Cleveland, M. Jackson, and C. Mingus. Jones has a way of making both big and small units sound compact, light, and direct, and his section writing is full of rich harmony and varied, quiet textures. The solos, within such enlivening frameworks, are uniformly excellent, with Thompson, Jones, and Farmer outstanding. Highly recommended.

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Down Beat : 03/21/1957
Ralph J. Gleason : 5 stars

This is an exercise in free writing and free blowing for multisized groups about which Quincy Jones, in an excellent set of notes, says, “We aren’t trying to prove a thing except maybe that ‘the truth doesn’t always hurt.’ … Our prime objectives in this album were soul, groove, and honesty.”

The objectives were achieved, I think.

The result certainly must please Quincy. It is a wonderful-sounding, bright, vital, swinging, and utterly charming album in which the link to the blues is never forgotten and in which the basic swinging element is always present.

In addition to the sure writing, the solos are all played by musicians who have that ability, relatively rare, to make their statement mean something every time they blow. Some of them – Quill and Woods in particular – never have sounded as good to me on disc before. Farmer, whose every brief appearance on vinyl has been notice of a growing stature as a soloist, emerges as possibly the star of the album with a number of moving solos, each of them models of intelligent construction and eft execution.

Quincy Jones’ compositions, the last three tracks, are roughly in the vein of his work for Gillespie‘s big band, and Boo’s Blues is a down-home, bottom swinging with a wonderful James P. Johnson-ish piano intro by Taylor, a moving bass solo by Mingus, some fine Thompson tenor and a gripping trumpet solos by Farmer behind which Mingus settles all questions about his swinging.

Stockholm contains a two-trombone chorus transcribed from a Clifford Brown solo from the original recording of this tune which is everything that Jones claims for it. Woods plays a wonderfully alive and noneclectic solo here, too.

Paris is a showcase for Jones’ penmanship, Sims‘ romantic, soulful tenor and Jackson‘s moving vibes. (Can it be that the motor speed of his vibes is set at normal instead of one-half? There is less vibrato.)

Of the other three sides, Walkin‘ is one of the great groove numbers of recent years and in this version offers a powerful Mingus bass solo, some fine piano by Hank Jones, and a great alto solo by Woods, with the band cooking behind him, plus excellent trombone solos from the three bones. Sermonette has Jackson’s vibes again in a great solo, another excellent Mingus statement and Quill wailing. Sleepin’ Bee is delightful with Mann‘s flute and Mingus’ bass opening it, plus some fine blowing from Woods and Farmer.

Throughout, Farmer uses a mute because, Quincy says, he wanted to “emphasize his wonderfully distinctive melodic lines.” We can be grateful that this was done, and Farmer never has been displayed to greater advantage and, perhaps, now may assume a more prominent place in the jazz scene.

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Liner Notes by Quincy Jones

For the sake of the title chosen for this session, I have disregarded the established precedent of a Jazz arranger’s album being mostly a display of his technique and/or craftsmanship.

This Is How I Feel About Jazz is an attempt on my part to supply the settings, select the proper cast and musically portray my feelings about some of the less cerebral and more vital or basic elements contained in Jazz.

Trying to put into words the essence of these elements has made me realize that Jazz is much easier to play than to say.

At the recent Newport Jazz Festival, one of the topics for panel discussion was “The Future of Jazz.” As a member of this panel, I stated my preference for a “natural growth” instead of a “forced or blueprinted development.”

Because of the lack of time to explain this point thoroughly, it could have possible been assumed that I was unaware of the possibilities uncovered only by advancement of Jazz techniques.

Such an assumption would be clarified, I hope, after a hearing of this album, as it has given me ample opportunity to present most of my favorite musicians and soloists in settings conducive to swinging and to their unlimited self-expression. (These latter elements comprise the most distinctive characteristics of Jazz. Original voices are created and not mapped out, meaning you can’t make a race horse out of a mule.)

I would prefer not to have this music categorized at all, for it is probably influenced by every original voice in and outside of Jazz, maybe anyone from Blues singer Ray Charles to Ravel I don’t know or care, and I think the musicians here feel the same way. We aren’t trying to prove a thing except maybe that “the truth doesn’t always hurt.”

Walkin’
This is one of those “tested and proven” Jazz standards introduced originally by Miles Davis and guaranteed to strike a groove. We tried to get the feeling of an informal session, using orchestral backgrounds written to sound like “head arrangements” rather than complex lines. I think we took full advantage of our guarantee and retained a feeling of complete freedom and relaxation. Paul Chambers‘ bass solo descends finally into a groovy, walkin’ line under Art Farmer‘s muted choruses followed by Lucky Thompson at his best. Urbie Green, Frank Rehak and Jimmy Cleveland play one chorus each, then take two choruses of fours, starting in the same order, with Phil Woods and Hank Jones concluding the solos, building all the way. Charlie Persip never stops swinging and is developing into one of the freshest drummers on the scene today.

A Sleepin’ Bee
This was done originally as a ballad by one of my favorite singers, Diahann Carroll, in the recent Broadway production “House of Flowers.” As usual, Harold Arlen‘s composition here is so harmonically complete, it leaves little need for composition within the melody. I tried to get an improved sound with the flute and bass interplay by alternating one bar ad libbed with one bar written. Solos are by Art Farmer, Phil and Mingus. (Phil’s solos contain form enough to become compositions.)

Sermonette
As Dizzy used to say, “this feels like one of them good old good ones,” if you can forget your rules of HIPology for a moment, I think you’ll dig this tune. This is where a lot of the current Jazz scene really came from and no intention of tongue in cheek was intended here. The following Soul Brothers were soloistically involved in conveying this spiritual message: Art Farmer – trumpet, Lucky Thompson – tenor, “Brother Soul” – vibes and Gene Quill – alto. If you, perchance, to happen to receive, pass it on!

Stockholm Sweetnin’
This is a composition I had originally written for Art Farmer and and Clifford Brown when we recorded with the Swedish All-Stars in Stockholm, Sweden, 1953. As a tribute to Clifford I have orchestrated his solo from that session. Following solos by Art Farmer, Phil Woods and Hank Jones, Brownie’s Chorus begins, introduced by unison trombones, and is continued for 32 bars. I consider this one of his most well constructed solos on record, and it serves as a stimulating, inspired composition. I was trying for a light, small group feeling with a large orchestra sound.

Evening In Paris
Zoot came all the way from Wash., D.C. to make this one. This was also composed while on the 1953 European tour, this time in Paris. I wanted to introduce the first part with a mixture of the french impressionistic school and free Jazz feeling – Zoot’s solo is followed by Art Farmer – trumpet and feeling – Zoot’s solo is followed by Art Farmer – trumpet and “Brother Soul” on vibes. Charlie Mingus again reminds me of his mastery of the bass, displaying remarkable control on the opening lines.

Boo’s Bloos
Named after “Boo” Fraizer, Disc Jockey (Dizzy’s Cousin), who portrayed this cute musical caricature during some of the dances we played on the recent state department tour with Dizzy’s big band. He used to do a groovy little high pockets dance, described easier by playing than by saying. Solos in following order: Phil Woods – alto, Herbie Mann – flute, Art Farmer – trumpet, Lucky Thompson – tenor, Jimmy Cleveland – trombone, and Mingus – bass.

My reason for the constant use of Farmer with a mute was done purposely to emphasize his wonderfully distinctive melodic lines. He gassed me on everything!

Our prime objectives in this album were soul, groove and honesty. I am very grateful to have such musically compatible constituents (wailin’ friends) to help make it possible for me to express how I feel about Jazz.