Quintessence
Quintessence was among the first true progressive rock outfits signed by Island Records. Led by Australian-born Shiva Shankar Jones (keyboards, vocals) and Raja Ram (flute, violin, percussion), the group also included Alan Mostert (lead guitar), Sambhu Babaji (bass), Maha Dev (guitar), and Jake Milton (drums), all of whom, in addition to a common interest in Indian music, also shared the Hindu faith. The group's roots lay in the hippie community in the Notting Hill area, which was to London roughly what Haight-Ashbury was to San Francisco. Their breakthrough performance took place at a festival called Implosion, where they put on a good enough show to get noticed by Island Records, which signed them and got their debut LP, an elaborately packaged concept album entitled In Blissful Company, out before the end of the year. Its mix of rock, jazz, and Indian elements was popular enough at the time with their core audience, especially one track entitled "Notting Hill Gate," a tribute to the hippie community, which found a slightly wider audience; the band subsequently recut the song in a more pop-oriented rendition as a single. The group had a strong reputation from their live work, and their early recordings seemed to build from this base. Quintessence's career reached its commercial peak with their self-titled second album, which got to number 22 on the U.K. charts. They did one more album for Island and then jumped to RCA's new British progressive rock Neon imprint for two LPs in the early '70s. Jones departed soon after the release of the group's second album for the new label, and they split up not long after that. In 1973, Jones became part of the big-band progressive outfit Kala, which recorded one album for the Bradley's label, and in subsequent decades he restarted his own version of Quintessence.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
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Discography
21 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Oceans Of Bliss - An Introduction To
Pop - Released by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) on 1 jan. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Contrast High
Michele Rosewoman, Quintessence
Jazz - Released by ENJA RECORDS Matthias Winckelmann on 1 jan. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Talk Less Listen More
Quintessence feat. Tuomo, Emma Salokoski & Verneri Pohjola
Pop - Released by Texicalli on 9 jan. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Underneath the Stars
Klassiek - Released by Quintessence on 1 okt. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Au Temps Perdu
Rock - Released by 930080 Records DK on 20 okt. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
If It Ain't Jazz... It Ain't Cool
Jazz - Released by Quintessence on 24 aug. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Thinking of Tomorrow
Klassiek - Released by Quintessence on 15 jun. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wrapped Up In Your Kiss
Latijns-Amerika - Released by Steve Millard Music on 1 jan. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Quintessence
Jazz fusion en jazz rock - Released by Mad About Records on 1 jan. 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sing Joyfully!
Klassiek - Released by Quintessence on 1 okt. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kiss Me (Orchestral)
Phoebe, Raindeavor, Quintessence
Pop - Released by Phoebe on 5 feb. 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Joel R Hobbs: Woodwind Impressions
Klassiek - Released by Hyoshi New Media, Inc. on 31 jan. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
5 A.M.
Quintessence feat. Tuomo, Emma Salokoski & Verneri Pohjola
Pop - Released by Jupiter on 1 jun. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Breath
Gospel - Released by Quintessence, distributed by Mayvibe Limited on 30 dec. 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Soir de Pluie
Rock - Released by 930080 Records DK on 5 okt. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spark Again (English Metal Version)
Quintessence, Cantus Lupus, Lily Blanc, Patrice Metcalf, Agekk, Niamh Griffiths-jones
Metal - Released by quintessence on 8 mrt. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo