26 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No.

14 on the US Billboard Top Jazz LPs chart.

[2][3] Chris Albertson of Stereo Review declared "This album, mostly instrumentals taken from four of their popular releases, shows them to be worthy of the serious jazz listener's attention.

The compositions, all but Charles Lloyd's Sombrero Sam contributed by members of the group, reveal talents that some of the group's most popular hits obscure.

"[5] AllMusic rated Kool Jazz 4.5 out of 5 stars.