The AllMusic review by Steve Huey awarded the album 5 stars out of 5 and stated:”Exodus to Jazz is full of concise, easy-swinging grooves that maintain the appealing quality of the strikingly reimagined title track (particularly Harris’ four originals). Far removed from his later, funkier days, Harris plays a cool-toned tenor who owes his biggest debt to Stan Getz’s bop recordings, though there are touches of soul-jazz as well… Exodus to Jazz paved the way for numerous other crossover successes during the ’60s (many in the soul-jazz realm), and while that may not be a credibility-boosting trend to start, the music still speaks for itself”.