The Atomic Mr Basie

Veo esa tapa y escucho "War, War Never Changes", aunque ninguna canción del disco está en los juegos (después de todo es música instrumental). Bueno: The Atomic Mr. Basie es un buen disco. Tengo, en general, una gran deuda con la música de big bands. No es lo mío. Voy poco a poco. Con el único con el que me pude adentrar en profundidad es con el gran Duke Ellington. Entonces, no sé como este disco se configura dentro de la discografía de Count Basie. Entiendo lo que repiten todos: que esto es como un "last big hurrah" de las Big Bands en el contexto en el que surge el rock and roll. Por supuesto que no comparto para nada: el mencionado Ellington siguió pateando culos hasta su muerte (y de hecho me gustan más sus últimos trabajos, con mejor producción: Afro-Eurasian Eclipse no tiene nada que envidiarle a sus primeros trabajos); el gran Charles Mingus (al que me cuesta considerarlo como un director de Big Band porque lo quiero mucho más, pero era un músico de Big Bands) tenía casi todo por hacer. Incluso podemos considerar a piezas excelentemente ponderadas como The Grand Wazoo de Zappa como Big Band... Africa/Jazz de Coltrane también... en fin, hay varios discos posteriores. El disco: está conformado por 11 canciones todas compuestas y arregladas por Neal Hefti, un trompetista cuya obra no conozco para nada. Me imagino que trabajó en soundtracks o arreglando música para orquestas. No es uno de esos nombres que conocemos todos. Y las canciones en general no son muy conocidas, no son grandes standards del jazz. Y es que en realidad no parecen tan interesantes, comparados con otras cosas que se hacían en la época. Lo que sí son tremebundos son los arreglos: esto es, obviamente, una big band, y están los instrumentos de viento dándole murra mientras está por detrás Count Basie haciendo magia con el teclado. Esto sucede, por ejemplo, en The Kid from the Red Bank, la primera canción del disco, una de mis favoritas del disco. Otra que destaco es Flight of the Foo Birds, y acá tenemos el caso inverso del anterior: Basie acompaña, igual que la batería y el contrabajo (aunque la batería se nota más porque es una canción movidita) y los vientos hacen el trabajo: otra vez, no me parece que sea un tema de composición, porque la melodía básica parece simplona, sino que son los solos que hacen los vientos líderes los que hacen que el tema destaque. Y un poco es así el disco: es una especie de Manual de estilo de la Big Band: tuvimos todas estas décadas donde perfeccionamos este tipo de música, y las aplicamos para hacer este disco. Se nota el talento presente. Lo que creo que falta es la presencia de un autor. Es una película sobre el holocausto o la esclavitud destinada a ganar el Oscar: le falta el amor de un director, si bien los actores se rompen el orto actuando para que la película funcione. Y consecuentemente con eso, me parece que las canciones tienen más o menos la misma calidad todas. Destaco, además de las ya mencionadas Midnite Blue y la última; pero realmente están todas al mismo nivel: están bien y hay buenas interpretaciones, pero me hace extrañar a Duke Ellington. Igual puede ser que con las escuchas este disco suba de nivel, veremos. Tres estrellas.

Big band jazz is not my favorite style of jazz, but this is well done. It's not my favorite but it's solid. 6/10

Nice but jazz isn’t really my thing

The first thing that has to be said about initially listening to this album, I was very disappointed no one came out and sang “Meet George Jetson! His boy Elroy!” So you have to take this at the time and place when this was made, which is essentially right before rock became popular. Given that lens, it’s a good album. All the same, I found this a bit boring. It gets a bit slow at times and while the band is good throughout, it just wasn’t amazing for me.

Cool jazz. I wonder how controversial this album cover was for 1958 lol

Swingin' music of the times.

There isn't much to hate about this album but also not much to love. It has a bunch of solos that range from unremarkable to pretty good but doesn't have much to offer in terms of catchiness or memorability. It's just kind of alright.

(64/100)

This is my 5th album i've listened to. I love jazz and this is a great example of someone who pioneered almost all modern jazz. You can really tell that the tempo and how it just soothes your mind really plays a big factor into this. Now even though I do love jazz, if it isnt live I cant get into it as much. If only i got to see this album live than I dont think i would be able to put it into words. I wish i did but i was born 50 years too late. Now because i rate this in a way that i would listen to it on the daily, I cant give it that high of score due to its 'backgroundey' vibe. 74/100

I don't know what this is. "Big band"? Sorry, I only listen to small band. Highlights: 'Flight of the Foo Birds', the name 'Splanky'

Comes in with a punchy blast of orchestral delight. Definitely had me moving around a bit. Good rhythm. Before I saw the name for "Duet", I wanted to brush up on my swing dancing with that song. Fav. song, "The Kid From Red Bank".

Divertissant mais en tant qu'album c'est pas mal juste une compilation de swing très standard, pas grand chose qui sort du lot. Ma playlist automatique a continué pour 3-4 chansons et j'ai pas remarqué du tout lol.

Solid big band music

A lot of different sounds, probably a great jazz album, and some very cool tracks, but not ly thing in general. Glad I listened to it in general.

For being another lyricless album this one hit me like a semi truck. The first five seconds of the first song really took a sledgehammer to my face and set the mood for the rest of the album. And the rest of the album was good. I’m not a fan of albums without lyrics but I very much appreciate this one. It’s definitely a joy to listen to in the background

Sounds like old! I can appreciate this in spite of it being a soundtrack of a million movies I don’t remember. Oh my god, does this music cause dementia? Why does this record from the late 50’s sound like it came from the 30’s? All joking aside, this is good stuff. The greatness of a big jazz band sound has been lost over the decades. I doubt I will return to this album often, but it nice to hear the source material for The Caretaker’s albums.

Good album, love some swing. Some highlights and great soloing.

It was nice to hear something different! I enjoyed this dinner music. 3.5

Big band/swing

This was an enjoyable swing/jazz album that is perfect for listening in the background while working. I’ve now discovered two albums from this list that are great to listen to the next time I play Fallout. Good vibes, not much more to say. Favorite tracks: - The Kid from Red Bank - Splanky

More energetic than I was expecting, but fun time

Okey, jazz

It's a little too swinging for me. And I like swing.

A nice jazz album for a change. I liked Basie's piano abilities. However, the album gets boring halfway through. There isn't a lot to say about "The Atomic Mr. Basie". But the nuclear explosion on the cover is cool. 3 stars for "The Atomic Mr. Basie".

Great for its time, though difficult to assess by modern standards. A respectable piece of jazz—well-crafted but somewhat tame. Standout songs for me: Midnite Blue & Splanky. 8/10.

Big band was not what I was expecting when I saw the album cover. Some nice background music for a relaxed vacation breakfast on the terrace.

1958. If the Beatles is Mum rock, this is definitely Nan Rock. If big band, trad jazz is your thing then this is gonna work for you. I like jazz, and I must confess I like some of this too. However, it's definitely going to benefit being in the mood, and the right environs. A seedy, soho dance club in the late 50s and yes, we could be friends. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit 🫳 I get it ★★★☆☆(6/10)

I think this would be a great album to listen to in a work setting. Didn’t enjoy it as much in the car but it was cool.

Cover 6 In-studio live. I prefer when others cover his songs. Anyway, this was a good album.

195/1089 - This was big band music for sure. I like jazz in general so I'm somewhere between 3 and 4.

Jazzz

The first track sounds like something Jack Lemmon would play while getting dressed for the day.

I thought I'd like this more. I am an avid jazz fan, and as much as I love pieces of this, collectively as an album I wasn't super into it. Great sounds, and probably underrating this.

Didn't live up to the hype of the album cover, but I dig Count Basie so he gets a pass.

Big band music, huh? Sounds good to me, but I have zero frame of reference as to how this stacks up to other tracks/albums from the genre. I guess it sounds more 'modern' than other tracks I have heard over the years (as much as an album from 1958 can be considered 'modern'). No idea - I like it so I will give it a 3.

fun little album

I like Jazz. That start was really fun, it did taper off a bit near the end. 3.5 if I could give half stars 1 - would not listen to again 2 - if some one played it, I'd probably just zone it out 3 - didn't hate it, didn't love it 4 - saved some songs from the album 5 - would buy the album or already own it

I appreciated some of the more nuanced jazz bits that went into pushing the genre forward with this

Big band and swing. The best of the early 50s.

so fun, reminds me of an old cartoon/silent film instrumental.

Really nice background music, the cover made me think of fallout and it hits a very similar tone to the music featured there. It’s somehow really calm and upbeat. Not something I’d listen to regularly but appreciated the excuse to give it a listen.

The album was a nice break from Shoegaze, Britpop, and Metal.

Classic big band sounds.

Top big band jazz album that really swings if that's your thing. The band sound great but the man behind the scenes, Neal Hefti, who did the composing and arranging on most of the tracks definitely deserves the name check on the cover. Feels a bit like music for films and tv at times.

When it jumps, it jumps. When it doesn't, it certainly doesn't. I much prefer it jumping.

I thought that I would like this more than I actually did. It's an ok album, an enjoyable listen, but ultimately not to my taste. Three stars. Would I listen to this album again? Probably not, no. Would I buy this album? No. 1 "The Kid from Red Bank" - 3 Stars. 2 "Duet" - 3 Stars. 3 "After Supper" - 3 Stars. 4 "Flight of the Foo Birds" - 4 Stars. 5 "Double-O" - 3 Stars. 6 "Teddy the Toad" - 4 Stars. 7 "Whirlybird" - 4 Stars. 8 "Midnite Blue" - 3 Stars. 9 "Splanky" - 3 Stars. 10 "Fantail" - 3 Stars. 11 "Li'l Darlin'" - 3 Stars. Total - 36 Average - 3.27

Appreciated for what it is.

Big Band enters the second Jazz Age. Fast enough to be BeBop, but Basie is so sophisticated. Twinkling piano solos for subtlety. Bold brassy horn chart that callback his setups. It is at its best when it swings.

Not much to say about this album, big band jazz is so established genre. Still, enjoyable to listen.

Solid swing album. I like the trumpet and piano riffs.

More post-war jazz. It's just not my thing, but this seems like a really crisp and high quality example of pops/jazz. If I was into old time dances and getting dressed up for a night on the town this would be a go to, but I couldn't tell you when I've ever done that.

I can't say it's bad music, but listening to the music that plays during the opening credits in 1950s movies is not what I'm here for.

I’m sure this was the cats meow at some point, but found this to be a bit dull

Sure. I didn’t find too much to dislike about this. Overall a good listen. I just don’t know this genre enough to know why this stands out.

Cool for what it is but not really my cup of tea. I'd probably feel different had I been listening to it live in an underground speakeasy with a cocktail in hand... 3.25/5

6/10

Very much just a vibes listen, would put this in the background when I'm looking for a lowkey vibe and want some calming music. Not much to say else about it other than I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought. Favourite Tracks: Splanky, Lil' Darlin', The Kid from Red Bank Least Favoruite: Fantail

Band jazz, not experimental but very good. Walking bass lines, big brass. Sounds like the fifties.

Fun high-energy high tempo big band dance music with some amazingly raunchy sax solos, swinging beats, walking bass, playful back and forth between the parts of the band, and, in the slower moments, some mellow moods. I can't be the only one that kept expecting to hear the Family Guy song half the time.

fun to listen to an album with only musical arrangements, you could almost see Sinatra dancing in the background! But i have to admit I got bored after some songs

A nice and refreshing change. I still thought it lacked something which catches me

meget behageligt

Ikke nær så hårdt som man skulle tro med det der cover, men jeg nød det mere end jeg havde regnet med!

Big band jazz just hits differently

Fun listening to this old-timey big-band jazz swing!

Decent big band music

I really enjoyed listening to this jazz album, which has some great grooves, rhythms and melodies.

Count Basie and Sidney Bechet were always playing at my parents place when I was a kid, and back then I saw them as old-fashioned and a bit dull. Listening to this album now is a surprise and it changes my perspective. It’s a solid swing record, full of life, with a few quieter, more intimate moments that add a nice balance. Still, it started to bothered me a bit at second listen, mainly because I never been so much into big band stuff, and it will not become a favorite of mine in that style of music. An overall nice experience though.

Really solid Count Basie album. Really enjoyed it and I'd definitely put this one in the rotation.

Kände inte till denne Count Basie, men jorå!

I’m gonna need to listen to this again. I usually dig Basie but this was just background music this time.

pretty good but basic jazz album doesnt deserve to be listen before you die worthy

KABOOOOOOOOM

jsp j’ai pas bien réussi à y faire attention et ça m’a pas vrmt marquée dsllllll je réécouterai un jour

Estamos en 1958, buenas orquestaciones.

Nice jazz stuff, some pretty cool parts though very samey

This is fine. Whirly-bird is a cool track. Can picture a guy born in like 1930 listening to this on an old timey phonograph, telling me they dont make music like they used to, snapping his fingers along to the beat and hollering "Hot damn these cats are cookin". Nothing against it, I guess I just prefer other forms of jazz to big band/swing, so I'm glad I listened to at least realise that.

Nice to listen to, but maybe a little snoozy at times for me. Enjoyed it much more after work. I like Double-O and Midnite Blue. Also Splanky is fun.

Easy listen for a jazzy morning rutine.

Slow, background jazz. 3/5

First off, I'm blown away by the album art (pun intended). If there was a more punk rock album cover put out in 1958, please send it to me. This is worth owning on vinyl just to have the sleeve. I love big band music, but I have spent no meaningful time digging into specific albums. This was a pretty easy listen for me, and a good way to start an overcast/drizzly Monday. It's certainly an "in your face" version of this kind of music, so you better be ready to go with that energy. "The Kid From Red Bank" punches you in the gut to start the album, so I appreciate that it's followed by "Duet" and "After Supper" which help you catch your breath and get into the Swing of things (pun clearly intended). Once you're back on your feet, "Flight of the Foo Birds" starts swinging again and doesn't stop until "Midnite Blue". Finally, you get a break again. Ok, it's only been 13 minutes, but in this weird fight analogy I've apparently committed to, that's a long time! This notable change of pace made "Midnite Blue" stand out to me on first listen, more than either of the earlier slow songs. From here "Splanky" speeds things up again, but it knows you're tired and your feet are moving slower than they did in the earlier rounds. "Fantail" follows a little quicker, just to see if you have one last spar in you, and "Lil Darlin'" sees you slowly shuffle back to your corner to await the decision. Does any of this make sense? Of course not. I should have written this like a dance card, not a fight card, because that's a much more normal way to analyze the pacing of an album. Beyond that, why is the first track compared to one punch, some tracks are full rounds, and some are something in between? Great question. Maybe 7 people will ever read this far anyway, so I don't feel particularly compelled to fix it at this point. Overall, a fun listen, and a good excuse to poke around the Count Basie discography today.

This one was a bit of a surprise. I’ve liked what little Count Basie I’ve heard in the past, but never really sat down and really invested. I really like it in the background, and will probably give it another spin at some point. I wish the mix was just a bit more bottom heavy, but the music is fun and lively and interesting.

This album did not disappoint. Packed with talent in a short time frame from beginning to end. But I doubt I would listen to it again.

Sha-doobie-doobie-doo. Impressive, made me bop my neck in and out. Good background music for doing your admin. But hard to sing along to if I'm being critical.

As a drummer, i do love these old big band and early jazz classics. I also love the arrangements and the horns. Also the bass playing....the piano. Love it all. It really blows my mind with this big band stuff that one man arranges it all. Basie is really enjoyable and this is a record i will revisit. great to either have as background or to immerse yourself in.

Ok

Big band music that makes me think of NYC in the 50’s. Highly energetic and on the better side of the big band/jazz movement. I’d listen again, but it does have a time and a place 😅

Goed maar saai

So jazzy. I like it.

I enjoyed listening to this big band jazz while I worked and over the weekend.

It's sorta jazz, sorta big band. It's nice. Very pleasant to have playing in the background. I swear I recognize bits and pieces of it. Some of these songs have definitely been used in movies and television. I didn't find any proof of this on the wikipedia page, but I did learn that this album won the best jazz album at the very first Grammy's. Neat. Honestly, I don't have much to say about this. It's nice while it's on. The horn work is great. It's eerily familiar. It feels like music i already know (reminds me of the music on everybody loves Raymond?). But it also doesn't really grab me. The album played through multiple times and it all sorta blurred together. Maybe the most interesting and attention grabbing thing about the album is the album art. Looks like a real picture of a mushroom cloud from an atomic bomb. Bold choice. Anyways, ya, it's a real solid 3 out of 5 for me.

Cool. Love seeing some older stuff on here!

Makes me feel sophisticated and classy whilst also having major alcoholism and domestic issues.

Prima jazzy

Good listen, lots of energy, very talented musicians. 6/10

jazz innit, out of my depth with this one, but it was nice to listen to

Great stuff!

Cool, 50s lush sound, wish for just a little more variety

Good, though not something I would really ever listen to

Overrated

Overall: 6/10 The musicians here are top notch. The sounds here are huge and played with tight precision. I'm still very new to jazz but I enjoyed this. Hopefully I'll like it even more when I'm more accustomed to this style. Fav Song: Flight of the Foo Birds Least Fav: After Supper

Musica jazz de chill.

Fallout ass music

While probably a great jazz album, this is fully instrumental and not really for me 💔

Nice big band stuff.

Fun. Light. Repetitive.

Not a huge fan of swing, but this is about as good as it gets.

Not a big fan of jazz or swing, not my type of music so find it hard to really say if it's good for what it is or not.

Good big band stuff! I can't distinguish it from other artists because I'm an absolute ignorant, but this was fun to listen to.

Loved the first song.

Big band, big horns, big licks, big energy - big fun. Basie and his tight band are on fire here, ripping through originals and setting standards. Favourite tracks: Duet, Double-O, Fantail

3.5

this was nice, easy to listen to

De Swing era, cultureel gezien zeker een interessante tijd, maar music-wise is het niet de jazz waar ik vaak op terugval. Dit album is daar geen uitzondering op. Het is wel peak 'swing', en vast één van de betere albums die je kunt vinden die uit die tijd stamt. Het begint altijd krachtig, kleurvol en ja, swingend, maar het wordt mijn inziens altijd een beetje cartoonesk hoe langer ik er naar luister. Vind het wel een hele sterke album-art, zeker voor die tijd. Vandaar nog een extra sterretje. 6,5/10 Highlights: The Kid from Red Bank Lil' Darlin'

Count Basie was volgens mij wel een baasie. Legende van de big band swing. En swingen doet het zeker. Al blijft het ook een beetje vervreemdend om zo'n album op de oortjes te hebben anno 2025. Het klinkt zo enorm als de jaren 50 en als 'film' (en dus als fictie) dat je het bijna lastig is om dit als muziek op zich te beoordelen. Ik houd het dan ook maar bij "vermakelijk" 6,5/10 Highlights The Kid from Red Bank Midnite Blue

This was entertaining. 3.5

fun, very fallouty

Greit, men nja

Great album for working. Didn't get a major reaction but it was a pleasant listen.

Good music

Old fashioned but classy.

The song on here that I've been playing on repeat is also the most unique to the record (Lil Darlin). All the other tracks I mostly appreciate for the sound or the novelty of "big band", but generally not my taste. Lil Darlin tho... god damn! Throw that on, light a cigar on the back porch and live life. Reminds me a lot of the horn sections on Pet Sounds.

A little too dated to serve as generic background music, but still pleasant

Pretty chill, good background music

Nice, but nothing that gets my blood pumping.

Not bad but it blended into the background for me.

Guilty Pleasure.

Great jazz album, loved the tunes on this one!

Good stuff. I may prefer smaller jazz music, such as trios, quartets, but an orchestra by Baise has some power.

Smooth refreshing jazz

well this wasn't unenjoyable, but it's not something i would've sought out on my own. but i suppose that's part of the purpose of going through this album list; hearing music i probably wouldn't have been exposed to otherwise i think i could listen to this in the background (maybe while playing a fallout game or something?) and not complain much about it

I liked it! Realize I’m in more of a rock headspace so this wasn’t what I wanted in the moment but it’s great.

I've never listened to anything like this before. I know nothing about jazz/swing/big band music. It's super, super energetic and fun! I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would, even if it's not really my thing. I'll have to revisit the genre at some point. Also, badass album cover art lol

Love the highs of this album, the lows aren’t necessarily bad they just fall flat to me. I haven’t delved too much into the swing era of jazz, so this was a nice introduction. Overall I enjoyed this album. This is very much a 3, but I would come back to listen to this again. Standouts: The Kid From Red Bank, Duet, Whirly-Bird, Midnite Blue, Lil’ Darlin’

I like either the slow and mellow ones like Lil' Darlin' or the more noisy seemingly unstructered ones. Nothing in between

Classic, but not really my thing.

Big band swing is not my favorite jazz, but this album is put together pretty well. It has some excellent brass and comes in pretty hot. Better than most.

Never heard of Count Basie before. Enjoyed this album. The bass, meets and horns are all amazing.

Great album. Great background music.

Pretty good album. I enjoyed it. From a time bygone. Not sure I'd listen to it again, but in certain circumstances it could hit the spot.

Haven't heard a big band record before this was a good surprise, easy to listen to and varied. Great compositions and arrangements. A true recommendation for a short and new record to listen every once in a while.

Swing > Jazz

Tom and Jerry music fr

relaxing album, great instrumentation

very very nice background music, will be returning to it when i wanna feel like mickey mouse

New Yawk City, baybee! Ayy I'm walkin' here!! Fuggaddaboudit!!!

Not for me. At all.

Fun on a bun.

Not what I expected from the front cover

Not bad actually, just get a little bit bored after a while. Also not particularly fond of fast-paced swing jazz, and prefer the slower styles. While this album had a good mix, I think it's just not for me. Still a 3/5 because the songs are quite cool.

3/5

I'm a fan of swing, but not of pure orchestral, so this is a bit of a toss-up for me.

All instrumental - all a bit same..

The ultimate background music while cooking dinner.

Relaxing

Really good

Listened to only a little bit but enjoyed it

Nice, chill, really excellent Big-Band Jazz music Best Song: After Supper Rating: 6/10 Stars: 3/5

incredible album cover to actual music disparity on display

Not my style, but still pretty listenable.

I was digging this quite a bit, but a lot of it started blending together. Decent background music for cleaning the house or something. Maybe something to throw on to try to feel a bit classier than I am. Horn section was great, bass player was staying busy with walking basslines and the keys were shredding. I really don't know when the album ended, since spotify kept playing Count Basie songs, I only realized it wasn't the album when I heard the same song twice in a row. Right in the middle on this one.

It was pleasant enough to have on in the background. All tracks kind of sounded the same to me.

I liked it. A lot of these big band jazzy albums sound the same. I don’t really have the ear to distinguish them, but they all are pleasant enough to listen to. 3.5 ⭐️ rounding down because I was expecting something a bit more intense from that album cover.

A bit more pep than Ellington at Newport....if these are comparable, I'm not even sure. Just not really my style of music. Helluva an album cover though!

Lil darlin er høydepunkt. Har vært på konsert med count basie Orchestra med pappa. Det var også der pappa fant ut at count basie var død. Dette er ok. Ikke helt min jam

All instrumental, essentially the definition of background Jazz, nothing against it just not a lot to it.

Intriguing, but not something I could listen for long.

As much as I've read, it's a fundamental jazz standard record. I'm not that knowledgable on jazz, but it was a pleasant listen, and I acknowledge its importance and historical value.

Solid big band record that didn't overstay it's welcome.

Tight fucking cover and title. This is the fun, exuberant jazz I can always enjoy, even if it all kinda runs together.

Solid but unspectacular big band jazz record. Some cool songs, like "Whirly Bird," "Splanky" and "Fantail" that go to a very cool place and utilize the whole orchestra, and really enjoyed the trumpet solo in "Flight of the Foo Birds." An enjoyable listen but unlikely to return to this one.

Big band, nice, let's move on

This put me to sleep in a nice way

point1.

Again, don't remember much.

I wanted to love it, but couldn't quite.

I'll admit I'm very biased against big bands, they tend to get on my nerves and it usually doesn't take long to switch them off. But I decided to behave and listen to this album in its entirety. Yes there's still a lot I don't like (got the vibrato trumpets within the first 5 seconds, urgh) and many songs are what I call "Tom & Jerry" or "Love Boat" songs. However there were some good jazzy (but less big-bandy) bits that were OK and generally this album is rhythmically good (that bass player is like a Swiss clock and his fast walking bass line are fab). I'd give it a 1 or 2 because I don't like the music - it does not move me at all (not in a good way at least). But it gets an extra point because I do see it's good "for the genre" and it's well made. And I like it more/ dislike it less than Duke Ellington which I gave a 2, so a 3 it is.

This album was fun. It was good background music as I was trying to get stuff done at work. It is great to have an album from the Big Band Era represented on this list.

The first of the 1001 albums that I’m intimately familiar with already. Played most of these charts in high school and have had the honour of seeing the Basie orchestra live. I feel that many of the arrangements are more foundational than they are truly great, but every track still sounds so damn cool. A fundamental stepping stone for some of the greatest jazz recordings of all time. Radical album cover as well. If I want to listen to Basie, I much prefer Straight Ahead, but there’s really no going wrong here.

Found myself enjoying this more than I anticipated. Reminded me of swing revival of the 90s. Wouldn’t but down to listen to it but wouldn’t mind as background music.

good for listening while you're doing some home stuff, but didn't add ant songs to my album

Awesome album cover! I enjoyed it. I prefer a smaller jazz band with brilliant leads a la Miles and Coltrane, and this faded to the background pretty quickly for me. The arrangements and performance is of course incredible though.

Solid, I guess jazz just isn't for me.

swing music

Pretty fun jazz record. It was good background music when I worked. Solid 3.

This worked well enough as background music. Not the type of thing I could ever see myself in the mood to put on and listen to again, but the music is perfectly fine.

don't listen to much jazz, so I don't have good commentary, but it was good from what i could tell

Count Basie does big band sound like no one else - excellent in its genre

Kedvenc/Favourite: Splanky Nem volt rossz, de annyira nem mozgatott meg. Olyan háttérzenés, de lehet csak én nem tudom értékelni eléggé. It wasn't bad, but it didn't really do anything to engage me. It sounded kind of like background music, but maybe I just couldn't appreciate it enough.

It's ok but I'm just not able to judge it since it's so different from what I normally listen to.

I’m sure it’s great if you like that sort of thing

Not really my jam, but glad to have listened to it yesterday.

Красиво наверное

enjoyed it, not my usual but a nice album

Idk if I can appreciate jazz when it’s not live

Sultry music for the end of the world…?

I felt like I was teleported into fallout. I did enjoy this, but can’t give it more than a 3 because of the precedent from the rest of the list.

I love a good big band. It's such a classic sound that you can't really get nowadays. I can't tell you how this band differs from others, but I still enjoyed it regardless.

this can only have been the hardest album cover of its time

Big band stuff. Meh.

This sounds and looks like jazz but doesn't feel like jazz. This feels like ballroom jazz or something. When I close my eyes I'm walking through an overpriced antique mall. Needs more soul. I did like the sax solos though.

More instrumental jazz music. yay. They are obviously talented musicians, and it's so old-timey that it really takes you back to a totally different era. So that's neat. I want to FEEL jazz more though, I want it to move me and shake me and bop me. And for some reason, most of it just doesn't. I appreciate the vibes here, but it continues to feel like music I might put on in the background of a hipster happy hour, and not something that works its way into my soul.

While I can very much appreciate this actual effort, I am in no way justified in evaluating it.

Pleasant enough listen. A couple of standout tracks. Probably would never choose to relisten to the album, but there are certain songs I’d revisit. 3/5

Enjoyed this. Album cover is almost comical compared to the music. Nice listen. Nothing spectacular, but good. 3/5 Might listen again

Unending energy and atmosphere! For a release from 1958 this felt very original and authentic, trailblazing even. Taking into account also the fact that this was probably one of the first Big Band/Swing albums to release, I was very impressed. It almost got a bit generic and uninteresting towards the end but saved itself with some melodies and a calm finale.

Solid classic sound

Typ Flintstone-jazz, rätt go att ha i bakgrunden, kan tänka mig jobba, städa, laga mat till detta, men det var nog ingen låt som stack ut som ett guldkorn för mig

Not my preferred cup of tea but listenable. Has some nice very interesting songs. One of those albums that I will have to be in the mood for to play it again.

I'm not sure I'd ever like, sit back and absorb it the way I do latter jazz greats, but this is the kind of thing you can put on and absolutely no one will be mad at you, and that is increasingly valuable in these trying times.

what a treat to listen to the music my grandparents definitely fucked to.

No denying the musical excellence of this album. Very pleasant to have on in the background. Not something I would actively seek to listen to, but a nice record.

Jazzy big band sound. Disturbing cover.

Album cover is hard AF. Even the E = MC^2 bit at the bottom is clever. Jumping out of the gate on The Kid from Red Bank. Sure is a swell bopper -- sounds like the bassist is working up a sweat climbing up and down the ladder. Splanky is a familiar one though I couldn't say where from. This was solid front to back, but not something I'm going to come back for again and again. I'd say for what it is it is really good. But for me in that category I top out at a high 3.

Looking at this album cover I was expecting some noise rock or some avantgarde punk bs (think Captain Beefheart and The Magic Trout or whatever). One could argue that this is nearly the opposite. Nice set morning diddies while getting some work done. Short and sweet. Somewhere in the high 3 realm. Could feasibly see this as a 4, but I don't think I'll grab this one again.

Incredible album cover on this one. Learned of Count Basie in a jazz class I took my Sophmore year of college which was really fun. This sounds like most swing music I remember listening to in that class. Definitely cool to listen to this old jazz but doesn't really get things going for me

This is not what I was expecting to hear from the album cover. Seems pretty hardcore for an album in the 50's. Some pretty relaxing big band. Nothing crazy but solid background work music.

3 a bit of big band Jazz rarely comes amiss

The faster paced songs like the opening track were great The rest of the songs dropped off, becoming the sort of café shop background music a lot of jazz and swing is

Fun. I liked it.

Alright yeah

Felt nice and powerful for big band music. Enjoyed as background.

Tää on taustamusaa sillonku on hyväs nousuhumalas ja yäppää menemään. Niinku joo tosi hyvää ja kivaa ja pehmeetä mut en vaa kuuntele tällästä nii harvoin pistäisin soimaan. En usko et tulee mielihaluja et omg nyt pitäs päästä vähän heiluu count basien tahtiin mut asiat voi aina muuttua.

Big band jazz is not my favourite kind of jazz but the Count is the master I really thought this was a good listen.

Swing!

Not my style

Big band music will probably never really speak to me, but this one got me boppin my head a bit in the car. Gotta give it credit for that.

foot tapping good not my usual type of music

I don't get Jazz on an emotional level so I'm not gonna rate this at all. Technically perfect but not for me…

I like some of these tracks and know them well, and you can see some effort has been made to sell it as cohesive album, but for me this is still stuck with the 50s problem of no flow or rhythm to the tracks assembled.

Ok, so this is very evocative of a certain time. Conjures up black and white moves, Some Like It Hot etc. While I recognise they are very talented and top of their genre this is not something I would ever choose to listen to, it gets a bit boring for me, may prefer some with vocals. Also, the up tempo tracks are more appealing

Pretty smooth jazz...

沒有發現特別驚喜地方，舒服的專輯。

Good classical

Of course, this album is full of great compositions and great playing, but big band just isn't my style. It's not bad, so I can't give it below a 3, but I also will never listen to it again, so I can't give it above that. :)

Swingy!

The final 1001 album at least for me. Big Band Jazz. OK.

Nice big-band music, after some time it gets on the nerves.

Sounds like a game show band. That is not a bad thing.

Enjoyed

fun jazz record, still think I can only really appreciate the genre fully when it's performed live

Objectively, I think it's great, but it's just not something I would ever really get the urge to sit down and listen too. Apologies in advance for the jazz nerds out there. 3.5 stars.

3.5

As Louis Balfour on the Fast Show would say, “…Nice!”

Entertaining but a bit samey throughout.

-not the most thrilling listen of my life but this is really pleasant. I love getting to listen to early big band and recorded jazz, I don’t think I would’ve ever listened to something this early on in recorded music if not through this website -Favorites are Double-O and Lil’ Darlin’

Great break from rock and roll into some solid big band Jazz. A wonderful playlist for a quick study session or throwing on a suit

Solid jazz album. Big band breaking new ground I guess.

I was excited to get this one, but soon realized that as much as I enjoy jazz, I don’t dig the big band stuff so much.

Decent listen but not something I would return to.

Lovely on a Sunday!!

It's a nice change from the terrible post punk that I seem to be getting recently, but it's hard to get into a groove with this album as the tempo and tone is all over the place though. I would have liked a moody album and then more of a lounge album, but I don't know. Maybe that's how people listened to albums once upon a time?

3.5 some good ol jazz

Скучный джаз

I have thoughts about jazz. How it is joining classical music as a genre that is used for meticulous study. It sucks the fun out of a genre that is meant to be about fun and freedom. I was subjected to this. The teachers were archetypical sticks in the mud who would sigh at their students not being like their favorite jazz musicians. Now that I have explained my bias: The music is fun, vibrant and manages to capture images beyond what would require spoken word. Situational, but undeniably good

This was a lot of fun

Última semana de octubre con artista y disco que desconozco por completo. Su nombre me suena pero no recuerdo haber escuchado nada de éste compositor. Ya desde su primera canción pienso en las temporadas más viejas de Tom & Jerry, cortos de Looney Tunes y así. Siempre conecto éste tipo de música con un fondo: para una reunión, para cocinar, para amenizar una cena a un volumen bajo. Y así. Hasta mañana

Perfectly adequate swing music. I will not be listening again.

#385. This sounds like something from a Tom & Jerry cartoon. Or maybe something that would be playing in the vaults in Fallout. 3/5: silly

Average

I don't know how to feel, I liked the sound but it doesn't seem that interesting or nuanced.

3/5

I know next to nothing about swing or big band, but this is a fun, up-beat thing to listen to.

I liked the piano but am not really a fan of the big band sound. Favorite song was: 11. Lil' Darlin' 5/10

Not my style of music but it was entertaining and musically complex

theres not much to say. its nice jazzy music. solid but i dont feel much.

Las grandes bandas de jazz tienen un nombre destacado en Count Basie y su Orquesta. Con agilidad interpretativa desde el pieano y enorme capacidad para dirigir la sección rítimica, Count Basie siempre había sido considerado uno de los mejores en el ámbito de las big band. Con su carrera estancada finalizando la década de los 50 consiguió relanzarla al editar este álbum en 1958 abriendo una nueva fase creativa. Una grabación sólida sobre la que destaca el tema que más me gusta (siendo como soy poco aficionado al jazz), que no es otro que "Splanky". Pero cabe destacar también la apertura del disco, "The Kid From Red Bank", con una magnífica interpretación al piano de Basie, "Flight of the Foo Birds", "Whirly-Birds" y el estupendo final de fiesta con "Li'l Darlin'".

3/5

Good

Liked the last song ‘lil darling’. It’s warm and comforting. Great song to reset to. Soothing textures and depth of bass on the sax.

This isn't really my style of jazz, and I don't think the compositions hold up among the jazz greats, but you can't deny that this is an amazing group of musicians at the top of their game.

Usual upbeat jazz from the 50s it sounds like.

Big Band / Swing is not a big interest of mine but found this pleasant enough while working.

This made the voices go away. Jazzy.

Very good big band sound in its time.

It’s a really strong and sophisticated big band swing album but there’s not really any stand out tunes (other than maybe Splanky) or ridiculously good solos to elevate it to a higher level

I enjoyed this but I don't know that I would listen to it again, on purpose. I feel like I should be baking a cake and smoking a cigarette lol. Or a character on Mad Men!

This album was nice to listen to, but thing really stood out to me. Pleasant, but I think there’s much better jazz and swing out there. I would have been just fine if I died having not listened to this album. Still good though.

I thought it was pretty enjoyable even though ive never really listened to this genre. fav: the kid from red bank. Least:after supper

This is like the 5th 50's Jazz album that we have seen on this list. It's not bad music, some of it is even worth revisiting and I enjoyed some of these tracks. but not my normal day-to-day. I'm sure there is some significance to Count Basie, but it didn't fall on a day when I had a ton of time to dig into him.

Pretty typical big band stuff

Good syncopated jazz

Me ha gustado bastante

Escucharlo en la calle con mucha gente suma puntos, el album del al que pertenece está muy bien

Started off strong but lost me little less than half way through. Thought it be more of a Jazz album but seemed more into the BIG BAND style Standout tracks were - After Supper, Teddy the Toad (great melody) , Midnite Blue was decent and the album ends on a great note with Lil’ Darlin’ which is beautiful and you could sing over the instrumental Least fav was Double O and Splanky (was almost falling asleep in my car ) Some of the songs seemed to remind me of background music in Adam West Batman. When it comes to “Jazz” I like things to be either more adventurous or really smooth ballads. This as said before leans more into big band and swing. Overall probably a 3/5 (leaning more towards a 2.5 personally, but for what it is can see it being a classic album and a 4 or 5 for certain people )

I love the swing of this album, the third track was my favourite

il jazz è sempre un genere mega affascinante, ma mi piace di più quando sconfina in altri generi come la samba o il blues. comunque un piacevolissimo ascolto e come sottofondo è perfetto.

Fav: The King From Red Bank Least Fav: After Supper

- feels like listening to music that would go with b/w popeye or tom and jerry - not sure i like the more upbeat songs, more of a fan of slower piano/sax notes - fav: after supper

I know nothing about classical music but this was just fine to me.

Sorry for being uncultured but I tend to dislike jazz. I get bored with it oh so quickly and then I have to sit through the whole thing, it doesn’t help that jazz is usually so unbelievably long. I didn’t have that problem with this one. It was very easy to get through and surprisingly fun and although it isn’t my thing I can appreciate it for what it is

A pretty fun album, I enjoyed the upbeat songs. However, it does get a little samey as it goes on. Very Fallout-core music. high 3

its music

- Jazz der, so finde ich, etwas mehr "erzählt" als sonst - fast schon soundtrack-artig, wie ein Filmscore. Einfach sehr deskriptiv - nichtsdestotrotz verstehe ich erneut zu wenig vom Jazz, um zu erkennen, warum das jetzt besser ist als alles andere 3/5

My wife loves Count Basie. I'm a bit of a Jazz-head myself, but this is not my favorite style. Namely the Big Band elements. I favor Jazz that focuses on a few select ingredients rather than a whole stew of instruments. There are some nice, stripped back Bop tracks on this, but there is a lot of Big Band that I could give or take. It's a pleasant listen, but not my style. That said, for 1958 that cover goes hard. Holy.

stars are, sleeping in counting, twice per beat

While recognizing it's merits & skill required, I talk a lot of shit about big band music. It's just not appealing to me in terms of jazz as I favor smaller combos and find the ever-punctuating bombastic blast of horns to be an overwhelming wall of sound that undercuts the individual talents and improvisational interplay that I usually gravitate towards. This one is wildly appealing though, dialing back a lot of those sensibilities and highlighting a more spacious approach. Being familiar with some of Basie's other works, this one had slipped under the radar and I'd gladly revisit it. Ballsy album cover for the era as well, damn bro, respect for the bold statements all around.

Solid album to be sure.

To me, Count Basie’s music feels like simply background jazz that needs vocals to complete it. Which isn’t fair to Basie, because his sound defined 40’s and 50’s jazz before the Bebop era. 3/5 for the history, but not an album I’ll be returning to.

Big band swing music. Good listen. Not sure when I'd choose to put it on again 3.5