Quintessence was a British rock band formed in April 1969 in London. The original lineup featured Sambhu Babaji on bass guitar, Maha Dev on rhythm guitar, Shiva Shankar Jones on vocals and keyboards, Jake Milton on drums, Allan Mostert on lead guitar, and Raja Ram on flute. Their music incorporated jazz, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, and Indian influences. Quintessence released three albums for Island Records between 1969 and 1971: In Blissful Company; Quintessence, which reached number 22 on the UK Albums Chart; and Dive Deep. They gained a reputation through live performances at the first two Glastonbury Festivals in the early 1970s as well as the Montreux Jazz Festival. Internal conflicts led to their departure from Island Records and eventual disbandment in the 1980s. The band members pursued various projects post-breakup, with Phil Shiva Jones collaborating with Ralph Rudra Beauvert as Shiva's Quintessence. Maha Dev passed away on July 5, 2019.
