Initial reviews of the song in 1973 were very positive . Bud Scoppa of '' Rolling Stone '' wrote , " To my ears , this is the most effective instrumental the Allmans have ever recorded : It breaks the band 's recent tendency toward humorlessness while demonstrating vividly that this group can elaborate brilliantly on a motif without once falling into obvious blues or rock & roll patterns . " '' Billboard '' singled it out as one of the " best cuts " from the album , and it was mentioned as a highlight by Janis Schacht of '' Circus '' . " The jazzy sound is not only effective , it 's aesthetically beautiful . Chuck Leavell 's piano work is much on a par with Nicky Hopkins ' work for the Rolling Stones . It moves , it boogies , it carries the piece along with incredible style and is met halfway by Dickie Betts ' clean , sweeping guitar lead . " It has continued to receive praise in recent years . A January 2006 '' Wall Street Journal '' article referred to the piece as " a true national heirloom . " A later recording of " Jessica " , a live recording included on '' An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band : 2nd Set '' ( 1995 ) , won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards in 1996
38th Annual Grammy Awards
38th Annual Grammy Awards
Jessica (instrumental)