The Quintessence is an album by Quincy Jones and his orchestra. It was released in 1962 and was his only album for Impulse! One critic called it "the sound of the modern, progressive big band at its pinnacle."
Jones's band was an outgrowth of the orchestra used in the Broadway show Free and Easy and featured some of the personnel that Jones assembled in New York for the show's European dates.
Contributors The core band consists of Phil Woods, Melba Liston, Julius Watkins, and bassist Milt Hinton and pianist Patricia Bown on two sessions, with bassist Buddy Catlett and pianist Bobby Scott on another. The trumpet chairs are held alternately by players like Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, Thad Jones, and Snooky Young. Oliver Nelson, Frank Wess and Curtis Fuller also contributed.
Track listing The Quintessence (Quincy Jones) - 4:21 Robot Portrait (Billy Byers) - 5:25 Little Karen (Benny Golson) - 3:44 Straight, No Chaser (Thelonious Monk) - 2:26 For Lena and Lennie (Jones) - 4:17 Hard Sock Dance (Jones) - 3:20 Invitation (Bronisław Kaper, Paul Francis Webster) - 3:35 The Twitch (Byers) - 3:50
Tracks 5, 8 recorded on November 29, 1961; #2–3, 6 on December 18; 1, 4, 7 on December 22, 1961.
Personnel Tracks 1, 4, 7
Phil Woods, Oliver Nelson, Jerome Richardson - saxophone Billy Byers, Curtis Fuller, Thomas Mitchell - trombone Ernie Royal, Snooky Young, Joe Newman, Thad Jones - trumpet Julius Watkins, James Buffington, Earl Chapin, Ray Alonge - French horn Harvey Phillips - tuba Gloria Agostini - harp Patti Bown - piano Milt Hinton - bass James Johnson - drums
Tracks 2, 3, 6 Eric Dixon, Frank Wess, Phil Woods, Oliver Nelson - saxophone Freddie Hubbard, Al Derisi, Snooky Young, Thad Jones - trumpet Melba Liston, Billy Byers, Paul Faulise, Rodney Levitt - trombone Julius Watkins - French horn Patricia Bown - piano Milt Hinton - bass Bill English - drums
Tracks 5, 8 Phil Woods, Eric Dixon, Jerome Richardson - saxophone Jerome Kail, Clyde Reasinger, Clark Terry, Joe Newman - trumpet Billy Byers, Paul Faulise, Melba Liston - trombone Julius Watkins - French horn Bobby Scott - piano George Catlett - bass Stu Martin - drums
Production Bob Thiele - producer Frank Abbey - engineer Pete Turner - cover photograph
References
See also Quincy Jones discography