The Atomic Mr Basie

ya like jazz? seriously though, i enjoyed this way more than i thought

This album reminds me of that scene in Spider-Man 3 where Peter Parker starts cutting shapes with Gwen Stacy at the jazz bar Mary Jane is working at to make her jealous

The musicians on this album are absolutely phenomenal and I appreciate their talent, but this style is not my thing. Still, this was an enjoyable listen.

Really not my cup of tea, I cant even really use this as a background

I enjoyed this

Alright, not a fan of the slow tracks

Thank you, Mr. Basie. Just the kind of refreshment I needed to hear. Hard to knock anything about it, but it could have been twice the length and I would have lapped it right up. 4.5/5 from me.

was beter dan verwacht... geen eindeloos genoedel en gepriegel, soms zelfs funky...

4/5 Was okay. Just sounded like generic big band music to me

Good Jazz

First jazz album I listened to. Very upbeat and fun

not what i usually listen to but its nice 6/10

This album is fucking awesome! The first track, "The Kid From Red Bank," absolutely slaps, and then the rest of the album is swingy big band jazz. It rules! It's also the oldest album I've listened to so far, and I had a blast with it.

Yeah great jazz album from this era

Ken Oath. One of the great sleeves.

I don’t know much jazz -

Nice

i'm still firmly in duke's camp when it comes to these two competing composers and orchestras, but this is quite strong. i'd never heard of this album and am glad to have heard it. it probably will cycle through my ears in the future

Swingin'

Labāk, bet joprojām ne pārāk interesanti.

Yep. It's a big band I don't know what I should feel Cocktail party time!

yeah idk. no strong feeling on this one. "after supper", "midnight blue" and "splanky" are all a little bit sexual with it but other than that i really don't have much to say about this album. i'm sure there's a good reason it's on here, i could see these guys being big at the time and the wiki article does mention that it picked up two different awards at the first ever grammys so i guess this popped the fuck off in 1958. but its 2026 these days.... guess it's just not for me. i feel mean giving it a 2, but to be blunt there's no way i'd pick this out for another listen when my only thought on it is "yep, that's big band", so what choice do i have. for what its worth i dont think its necessarily a bad album, just one that i couldn't get into myself. sorry mr basie. yknow, as i close this out i'm realising i actually do have one strong feeling on this album after all: the feeling that i'm missing something. so maybe some day i'll come back to this one and i'll finally Get It, and then i'll feel ashamed for my words and deeds. even if i don't, i'm sure the cover art will still go hard.

Big band and swing aren't my usual picks for jazz, but it's hard to not tap my feet to this album. "Midnite Blue" comes just in time to slow the energy, but offered only a little reprieve from the strong and shrill horn group, which I know is characteristic of the genre, but I tolerate it only so much before it loses me. The atomic theme is appropriate in 1 sense I suppose. Regardless, I still think it's a great album and offers a lot of variety in its tracks, and judging from its place here in a list that's kinda lacking from this era (and earlier), this is probably going to be the epitome representation for swing. And for that I say this is excellent representation, and I had a good time, even if it's not my favorite genre. "Lil' Darlin'" is a lovely sendoff that will be particularly memorable to me.

I was listening to this in a car during a tornado watch. Good times

i've enjoyed it 8/10

I had low expectations for this one, but what a fun listen. This is super tight, well-arranged, all the musicians are in top form, and it’s just enjoyable to listen to.

All right, we’re jumping into a Time Machine I’m sure this album was an absolute banger when it got first released like they were lining up wherever they can to pick up this record but in 2026 I mean if you want to step back in time and feel like you’re in the 1920s and Gatsby‘s party I guess you could pick up this record at least it was short and only 40 minutes two stars can’t be too mean on a jazz record from the 50s. They were trying at least. 2/5

Beautiful

Excelente disco de jazz

I don't know why I got back to back jazz albums. This one sounded very similar to the Miles Davis one I had and both came out around the same time. This is not as good as that one but isn't really bad in any way.

genius music

no es mi estilo pero para ser algo que no me gusta eschuchar, suena bien :)

Solo me dio un poco de tranquilidad, hay que escucharlo cuando estés haciendo algo…

10/10 no notes. Fabulous album to listen to while working. Minus 1 star for making me crave Olive Garden breadsticks and an evening at Jazz TX because I can’t do those things all the time.

Fair play I guess but I really don’t enjoy this kind of thing

dance-y and fun to listen to! it wasn't exactly the right mood for my working day, but now I want to go to a party where this is playing!

Pleasant to listen to whilst cooking reminds me of cartoons flinstones ren and stumpy I’m sure count Basie would hate me saying that soz

not bad even though I couldnt sing along. I dont quire understand what was special about it though.

Big band swing, though not something I'd typically reach for, is something I can certainly appreciate both in terms of the songwriting and arrangements as well as the musicianship. It was a fun 40 minutes, never dull and didn't outstay its welcome. Happy to listen to it but whether I'd actively revisit remains a question.

Patrolling the Mojave makes you wish for a nuclear winter

Swing baby swing into my ears.

So fun need to listen to more jazz

Instrumental

Just not my thing, so difficult for me to judge too harshly

it was very insightful, the lack of voclas on a track provided a new persective on music creation in terms of how all the instruments come together in harmony which makes it very very pleasing to the ears....i listen to all of the album in one afternoon just paying attention to everything fom yhe simplicity of the drums to the trumpets to everything about it

Bajo mi punto de vista el Jazz (swing en este caso) es tal vez la máxima expresión del instrumento. Juegan con la velocidad, fuerza, silencios, etc. No es un género que me siente a escuchar pero este disco me recuerda lo valioso del mismo.

Amazing opening, feels like the cover work Whirly-Bird and Fantail were both fun The ending feels like a soft and sad goodbye Best: Midnite Blue

Well, at least nobody was singing about love over it

Nice

A masterclass in orchestral dynamics and rhythmic precision. Despite its 1958 vintage "Lo-Fi" warmth, the recording captures the explosive power of the brass section and the delicate nuance of Basie’s minimalist piano with incredible clarity. The interplay between silence and sound creates a gripping tension that remains a gold standard for big band production, offering a visceral and sophisticated listening experience.

This one actually really slapped, you get the impression this went haaaaard in the 50s and they are going so hard. I wasn’t really expecting this going into it but it was a very rousing album. Yeah I said rousing!

ngl this slapped! maybe it's cos i was wearing a new trench coat but I got really into the 50s big band vibe in a big ol' way. surprisingly fun!

surprisingly like it

Very high energy big band album, that swings well enough to make me tap my feet or sometimes even dance a little.

Hmmm, it's fine. I like the style, and wanted to hear more music like this, but most of it didn't really grab me. The big band meets jazz vibe is cool, but to my tastes a lot of it felt pretty plodding without much hooks or identity to the songs. Just my own taste.

Nice jazz collection- good background music.

No complaints

Nice as background music

MS jazz band moment. We weren't this good, I'll tell you that.

Para escuchar mientras estudias está buena

Old times jazz

Really enjoyable! Will be listening to this one again

Neal Hefti wrote some great arrangements and the opening Kid From Redbank nearly achieves lift off! Hard swinging album from the Count. Great stuff! 4

23 Skidoo!

Chill jazz, can't fault it really

Some great driving beats with saxophone, trumpet and piano working well together but nothing revolutionary. I liked it but probably won’t be back

*Incredible big band sound in Basie's late stages *I still prefer quartet, quintet, etc. jazz from the 50s on over this

3.5

this is jazz that makes sense

This is a good one. 4 stars

No shade against big band music but you could have played a dozen such albums like this and I would be hard-pressed to guess which one made it to the 1001 list. I do like the jocular attitude towards nuclear war on the cover which was a bit of a surprise.

I don't have the musical vocabulary necessary to say anything intelligent about this album. This is good jazz. Count Basie is good at jazz. I enjoyed it, and added it to my library. When I saw the album cover, I thought it was a Ministry album.

I wish the music were as striking as the album cover. I liked it, but it kind of came and went without much notice for me. Maybe I was distracted. I saved a few tracks to my instrumental playlist, so I'll revisit. Rounding up to 4 because I'll be coming back.

While I love jazz, I'm not quite as big on the more big-band and swing stuff. Still not bad by any means.

It was fun, different from what I usually listen to, but really just not my style.

I don’t love big band jazz, but this is really strong.

Not usually a fan of jazz but this record is surprisingly enjoyable

Fun

Neal Hefti and Count Basie collaborate together?? Why have I never heard this shit before? What, me worry if the bombs drop? Let's swing!

Not gonna write per track here but I love Basie and his band in large part because of Neal Hefti. Ofc the compositions are great, but I gotta give real props to the restraint in arranging on this album. The Count Basie Orchestra included some of the best musicians to pick up their instruments. Surely they could absolutely murder any chart put in front of them with virtuosic playing. But Hefti's charts all feature such subdued arranging tactics and had already done that before this album. When you expect the band to explode in a beefy wave of horns, they suddenly pull way back and instead require the listener to lean in. And that subdued style that lends to thoughtful playing is a known hallmark of Basie's piano, too. I think Hefti's arrangement and Basie's playing lead the whole band to play their solos with a little more thought. Some of the baddest motherfuckers in music that could definitely rip the fastest most complex shit ever, but everything is played with such a careful touch and THAT makes it funky. Plus that's not to say the band doesn't know when to shout and get up in your face about it, they sure do know when to do that. Anyway I only ramble all that cuz this one's well known to me and yeah I love this album and it makes me smile. Lil Darlin was described to me a while ago as being played at "grown ass man tempo".

Great big band work. I love that the album gave a variety of high tempo, crazy energy charts, while slow, emotional, and beautiful ballads were chronologically paced along the record wonderfully.

I have the feeling that if we include jazz, we may end up with 1001 jazz records. This is obviously very good, even if I'm not a jazz expert.

Enjoyed it

Nice

Really enjoyed this slice of big band jazz - they just don’t make music like this any more.

Fun. Frenetic. Top notch musicians. I'm glad I was introduced to this album.

Enjoyable listen...not my regular vibe. I liked listening to it at work... perhaps it will work its way on to my playlist.

No complaints about this! I enjoyed it. Easy to listen to. The sound is big and ambitious. Really cool solos too! They're doing a lot with each instrument, giving everyone in the group a moment to shine.

I just don't like big band...

One of the Greats

4/5, a wonderful listen if you enjoy big band jazz. The selection, arrangement, and execution of these songs are absolutely excellent the whole way through. Not something for everyone, but if you like the genre, it'll be a joy.

This album wasn’t really my style of music (a bit too jazzy), but wasn’t a difficult listen either.

Not bad. Good for backgound music when doing something else.

It's good, don't get me wrong but I'm not a fan of big band as much as modal jazz. I ultimately feel like it doesn't age well. Listened on repeat for the better part of two hours and it served well as background, but I'm not sure any tracks make it to my jazz playlist. still better than Moby

Count Basie, when I hear that name, I know what to expect, but I’m not sure I could have told you what instrument he played or anything else about him. I figured we’re talking jazz here, but not the weird, avant-garde jazz, but the jazz that makes you want to jump up and boogie your arse off. Plus, when I think of Count Basie, I figure he died in like 1950. Nope, the dude made it to 1984. What must he have thought about music at that time? By the by, Basie was a piano player, organist, band leader, and composer. He led the Count Basie Orchestra for around 50 years. This album was recorded in 1957 and released in 1958, and was called the last great record by Count Basie. That’s probably why it’s included in the 1,001 Albums list. The same year this album came out was the year of the first Grammy Awards. This album won Best Jazz Performance by a Group and Best Performance by a Dance Band. Here we go. Just hearing the opening of track one, The Kid from Red Bank, I might not do a track-by-track of these 11 songs. In fact, this might be one of my shortest pieces because I want to sit and enjoy this. This first track is piano-heavy with blasting horns. I’m all the way in already. I feel like I’ve heard this before. Maybe in a movie or on a Tom and Jerry cartoon. You know the one, where Tom and Jerry are living over a jazz club or something. Remember when all those Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry cartoons had incredible music? I remember some of the music more than the cartoons these days. Track 2 is Duet, and it’s got a funky bass line holding it down. It's another in a long line of great tracks. As I move through the music on this album, I notice that every song seems to have a different instrument or two that get their time to shine. It really catches your ear as in one song there’s a great sax solo, then in the next it’s the bass that really attracts the attention, then Basie’s piano will be the star in another song. It’s like Basie wanted to give everyone in the band a time to shine. It’s rather grey and cold here in Kentucky as I write this, but listening to the Atomic Mr. Basie, it gets you fired up. Loving this. There hasn’t been one song on here that I have thought, “Ugh, that’s a clunker.” Most of the songs are uptempo bangers, with the last track, Lil’ Darlin’, being a nice, slower tempo, get close with your sweetie on the dance floor type song. As a fan of classic movies, songs like these really take my mind back to the time when this was popular music. Lil’ Darlin; is such a beautiful song to close this album of absolutely burn your face of jazz. a I have said before I’m no jazz expert. I’d like to become even more familiar with the genre, but I know what I like. Count Baise’s got what I like. Is it must-listen? I think so. Especially if you’ve never dipped that toe into the waters of jazz before. This is a great album to start with. It just makes you feel good. It’s definitely going into my playlist of great finds from the 1,001 Albums list.

One of the better jazz albums I’ve gotten but still not really for me. Feels like waiting music.

I liked it but not sure when I will really listen to it again

I don't really have much to say on this, because my exposure to both swing and big band is so lacking that it may as well be non-existent. Yet, it was fun. I orchestral swing, even if I don't listen to it much. It's very much a "vibe" that's easy to sink into and just simply enjoy, and "The Atomic Mr. Basie" is no different. Favorite Track: Honestly, my issue is that they all sound more or less the same to my untrained ears, with some being slower-tempo while others are more rapid, bombastic swing. "The Kid from Red Bank" is a great opener, with a really playful piano solo.

Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Great - I like this album a lot. Swings like hell, the only track I'm not keen on is the closer but overall a fantastic album.

Fantastic

Hyvää meininkiä, hyviä sovituksia ja svengi toimii. Välillä tenorifonisoolot vähän tylsiä, ei muiden kanssa samaa tasoa.

#303/1001. Jazz creeps in to this list, and for me I welcome it to wash away all the mossy rolling stones and 90s and 00s rock saviours. The title and the cover couldn't be any more kitschier and out of context, but the music be-pops the hell out of most on this project.

my brain-rotted ass had me thinking i was listening to a family guy episode with flight of the foo birds this album definitely got me in the mood to watch a chicago or moulin rouge to scratch that musical in a the big bustling city vibe

great! jazz, love it

3,5 stars

Loved. I should listen to more jazz.

Immediately jumps into it, blasting you with rhythm! I thought this one was a really fun mix of songs, from upbeat bops to smooth slow sounds, it's a good 40mins of sweet sounds!

Good, easy to work to!

Jazz.

Above average big band album. I'll give it a 6/10

Genuinely enjoyed this one, first 5 star rating. 8.9/10 lol

An enjoyable album with nice changes of pace throughout. High 3

Fun well paced big band, really quite liked this

Fun, triumphant, enjoyable. High 3

My Dad was keen on big bands and the swing era, so today's album taps into some childhood nostalgia. The arrangements are brilliant and I love how minimalist the count's playing is.

This is a charming listen and one that is impossible to dislike. There is a dash of old school Hollywood about Count Basie’s performance which feels stylish, fresh, energetic and good humoured.

Count Basie is getting a solid to high 3 from me today, it’s not my type of jazz but as far as swing and big band goes it’s pretty great

Some nice jazz piano and orchestra. More upbeat that I would have thought given the album cover. I could see this as an nice record to have on for an energetic, upbeat sunday.

A sweet & old-fashioned little jazz record.

I love jazz, or what people percieve to be “jazz”, but I’ve always struggled with most big band jazz. The more instruments involved and the styling of music seems to provide me less to think about and results in me becoming less interested - particularly when the “orchestra” is used as it is here. Definitely a me thing. So this was enjoyable, but didn’t really do much for me sadly. Superb playing - particularly Basie himself - and perfectly good for what it is, just not really my thing.

I dream of playing my trumpet this brightly

Nice, big band

Listened in the car. Loved this big band classic. Great solos, incredible arrangements, and the fact that the audio quality is so good from a recording of this time is amazing. Loved it.

One of those weird and rare jazz albums that I actually think would be better if it *weren't* instrumental. It's pretty fun at times, but the whole vibe just feels like it's missing something. I feel like I should be hearing Frank Sinatra's voice singing over all of these, but instead I'm left with perfectly good instrumentals, but that could just benefit from having one extra layer that would make it a lot more complete.

No siendo un fan del jazz, he de confesar que, entre todos sus subgéneros, las big bands en particular, me chiflan. No lo busco a la hora de escuchar música pero hoy me he deleitado con este álbum mientras hacía las tareas de la casa, y es que planchar, hacer las camas o pasar la fregona a ritmo de swing es hasta vigorizante. Minipunto para Count Basie por poner un granito de groove a tan tediosa existencia.

This is not my typical go-to music, but this was great. It took me back in time to place that was more innocent and simple - years before I was born and a different world than today. I can see myself playing this again for the right occasion.

Pas autant extraordinaire qu'on essaie de nous le vendre 3.5-/5

Very surprising! I enjoyed my time with it

Swingin'!

Awesome jazz orchestra sound - plus Basie's way of playing at the piano conveys such cleverness and confidence. "Teddy The Toad" and "Splanky" are classics (and throwbacks to playing in high school jazz band...), and "Flight of the Foo Birds" and "Fantail" are also highlights!

(4/7) dude forgot to write the words

energetic elevator music in the best way

Incredible album art. I hope the music lives up to it. The jazz was good. I have not listened to enough jazz to really know good from great to be honest, but I enjoyed the whole album front to back. I would listen again if I was looking for some jazz I suppose.

A big band that plays some swing jazz. As I'm not fond of big band usualy I was a bit afraid of what was to come but in the end it's quite enjoyable. Favorite Songs: After Supper ; Teddy the toad

Felt like I was on the titanic

The (literally) explosive cover art must have had an impact in the late 50s, a time when album covers were meant to show the artists and nuclear tensions were high. Count Basie was a powerhouse of his era and this album shows him at his peak. It's also probably the peak of big band music, as the genre was about to give way to rock n roll. Basie showcases what was great about the style before it faded away to obscurity. And it feels very much alive as he does it. One wonders how we lost this music but it's probably simply a matter of practicality. You needed a "big band" to get that effect before Sister Rosetta Tharpe showed the world that the electric guitar could do it much more easily. Still, it's a great document of a bygone era and it feels easy to imagine the excitement of being there.

More spicy than Sir Duke, more big band than Miles. This was excellent!

Perfectly pleasant and enjoyable. I'm not really a jazz fan but there's enough here to keep me interested. It's got a fairly diverse range of songs and I feel like I recognise some of these tracks, perhaps from use in tv and film.

cartoony type music

I do love abit of the jazzy but I dont think I could listen to it with no singing maybe if im eating in the resturant or something I feel like im in the roblox resturant

if it had lyrics we could of made it biggg

good old jazz, swing

Very enjoyable. I have listened to a little Count Basie in the past but will have to check out some more.

I've to fall in love with Jazz but this is pretty good

What beautiful classical and cheerful music this is.

Fabulous. Classy. Love it.

Couldn't they afford a singer?

I'm not really into listening to jazz but the music is very good and I could maybe see myself listening to it as ambient music to an event, dinner, etc. Very talented musicians.

Crazy album cover for what played. It was good a bluezzy.

Das überrascht mich! Tolle Kombination aus Albumcover und Musik. 4.5/5

It took a couple of rounds but I think I’m convinced this is both interesting and entertaining, not overly cerebral jazz but something with an intention.

Done

the king of swing!! not sure why this album in particular, but Count Basie rocks

That was great

You gotta be giving your love to the Countm

There's no denying Count Basie's massive talent and influence on music. Big band just isn't my thing. Sounds a bit too much like supper club music to my ears. Not bad, just not something I'd choose to listen to regularly.

Good stuff! Makes me think of black and white movies, and a club filled with movie stars!

Man, this is some grade-A Fallout-Core. Helps that I'm playing through Fallout 4 right now, hits the spot haha. Was wondering why I never heard his music in the games, but apparently a song of his is in Fallout 76. I need to check that one out.

TIGHT! ALRIGHT! OUTTA SIGHT! I don't even like jazz, and you can't go wrong with Count Basie. Smooth, dynamic, big band jazz delivering something you can just jam along to and be productive or just listen and tap your feet. The songs never feel overdone or leave you wanting more. I could listen to this about 15 more times and not get tired of it.

A mushroom cloud on the cover of a 1958 jazz album? I don't know about that. I wonder how that was received. Musically however this was a great album. I thought dynamics were used very well, especially in the horns. I love the soft horn accents and intermittent horn stabs, and their voicings are rich. The melodies from the horns were unique and memorable as well. I think I liked this a little bit more than the Ray Charles album, but I'm gonna give it the same score because of the cover. 7/10

This music (that we get here every day) sure is all over the place, huh? This one makes me think of the recent Ray Charles (which I only gave 3 stars), but I'm inclined to give this one 4 stars, and not sure why the difference, exactly. I think because it doesn't feel quite so slick and formulaic? It's plenty *tight*, but it also really swings. This one and the Ray Charles came out around the same time (one 1958, one 1959), so both before my time, and at a time (though already fading a lot by then, I think) when people *danced* to music (often at live performances) more than they do today. I bet it was fun to dance to this music. Also, right now "Fantail" is playing (track 10 of 11), and that bass is really jamming :) - and then the sax, too. And now track 11, I realize, is familiar (it's a theme song for some program I hear on WDCB, I think), and it's killer, too. So, yeah, this is a solid 4 for me (and, if this is your jam, and you gave it a 5, I wouldn't argue with you). But, I guess, if it's not, and you gave it 3 stars, no argument there, either.

it's tasteful, it's classy this might be the pinnacle of big band jazz. these great arrangements provide plenty of contrast that make the whole album enjoyable - from frantic swingin to relaxed groovin

FUNKY FRESH INSTRU pour le matin

fire

Actually quite lovely as background music

Best Track - "Splanky"

I really enjoyed this fun, jazzy album. Made me want to dance, but I was driving…

пока шла под этот альбом, перед моими ногами с крыши упал огромный кусок льда. Хорошая была бы последняя музыка. раньше люди умели веселиться

This was a bit of fun but it didn’t feel groundbreaking. But it’s 2026, maybe it did feel groundbreaking in 1958. But for me it would need to be influential to be special and I can’t specifically pinpoint things this has influenced so it isn’t more than mid for me.

honestly really like the jazz here, very relaxing

didn’t think i would like this but it was actually alright. sounds from a different time was nice to listen to 3.5

Decent.

A few years ago I took this class on American pop music & jazz, where the professor would take us through the history of American music each week. I remember when we got to this stuff, swing and big band, I loved it in class because it was such an exciting departure from the lame, stuffy, boring music hall stuff we had heard before. When I got home and listened to it again, it wasn't as good, because I was listening to it in between listening to more modern music. All of this is to say, context is important here - records that were mind-blowing then aren't always mind-blowing now. Or something like that.

Hmm BigBand music not a favourite of mine. Other jazz took me places bit this was just back ground music.

Delightful

Listened to this at work tired and frustrated so i felt very overwhelmed 😭 it brings energy most of the time which felt like a lot, and overall this is not my style of music. but i can see the musical genius behind it so i respect

Cet album m’a clairement réconcilié avec le jazz car les sonorités sont vraiment smooth et reposantes, ce qu’il faut se punch et en meme temps bien musical et recherché. Count basie est un pianiste surnomme la machine a swing, middle jazz ochestral. Le count basie orchestra aura ete un tremplin pour beaucoup de musiciens majeurs.

Fun classic jazz swing. Don’t probably know enough to get only the finer distinctions of what might set this apart from others but this will definitely be on my jazz list to listen to around the house. From Musicboard (OG 1/13/26, [#19] Imported 2/26/26)

With this genre of music, I feel I need a visual accompaniment. Reminded me of when I watched the Lawrence Welk show with a woman I aided at the end of her life. She'd burst with happiness to watch the cast dance to any of these songs. I wouldn't know how to appropriately rate this. It'd be marvelous to see live.

GREAT for study music! Maybe not Road trip vibes though

La verdad es que me cuesta calificar este album. Es algo que jamás habría escuchado en otro contexto. Me sentí estando en el lobby de un hotel. Disfrutable pero no lo escucharía nuevamente.

Enjoyable

Would be great for a Fallout game or smth. Or just casual listening. Not really what I wanted this morning.

24/02/26, 10h30 Som classico de jazz, tipico de um filme ou serie dos anos 50.

Amazing

Alright; I'm not a huge fan of swing but this was an okay listen, nothing very special.

Nice Jazz background music

Enjoyable. 4 stars

good, interesting. Not really needed. 3 *

Smooth jazz - just not my cut of tea

9,5/10 JE POURRAIS L'ÉCOUTER TOUS LES JOURS POUR RÉVISER

Call centre

3/5 stars. Wouldn’t change a thing

yeah, this was fun! that's all I have to say. was good for homework time

Good big band jazz, I don't have much else to say!

Beautiful…

Fucking *finally*. I have been dying for some jazz. And big band jazz is a great way to start (i say start because I don't think we've rolled jazz yet? idk i can't remember) By 1958, obviously big bands were sort of on their way out in favor of the would-be traditional solos, trios, and quartets of jazz musicians that would rule the 60s; still, though, this album (or more generally, count basie and his orchestra) left indelible marks on the jazz scene at its absolute peak. coming on the heels of work from people like duke ellington, it was virtually impossible for this album not to be a critical success. and thank god it was: while *this* particular album wasn't necessarily fundamental in my early jazz appreciation years, it definitely ranks in the top ten (it would take me a week or more to decide my top three, but i don't think count basie, or duke ellington for that matter, rank that high). when i first heard count basie in i think 2012, i was walking around chicago at night in 2012 and there are few, i would argue, better places to listen to jazz if you want the love of it to become a personality trait. in the next decade alone i would end up at jazz clubs all over the world trying to find local groups that could do what these guys were doing. i found some! people will tell you that it's hard to beat nyc if you want to find good jazz in the 21st century (as many cities, especially those abroad, began to fizzle out as Blue Note clubs and their similarly-styled contemporaries closed), but don't listen to the purists: there's still all kinds of cool shit going on in chicago, in denver, and hell, even in prague. prague might have one of the best jazz clubs i've ever been to; better than most in paris, to my mind. this album is so fucking great for so many reasons. hefti's arrangements are among the best big band arrangements to have ever been played by anyone ever, and i don't think that's a bold claim-- i think that's actually a pretty lukewarm take. the standards that are included here ("Li'l Darlin'", "Corner Pocket", etc.) are some of my favorite records OF those standards, making this album infinitely re-listenable. swing jazz is so so so important for the emergence of hard bop, which is my favorite. i think we'll eventually roll some of my favorite hard bop records, and i'm excited for that. count basie is one of the first to really hone the walking bass, call-and-response lines from different instrument sections, and my absolute favorite, the blues influence. these two genres play together like starsky and fucking hutch, and you can hear it all over this record. "Whirly-Bird" might be one of the greatest big band standards of all time. you cannot listen to this song and feel anything but electricity and joy. this album fucking slaps. count basie is a fucking legend. thank god and the USA for big band jazz.

The album cover did not match this at all. What a pleasant surprise!

Rating this for the 3rd time now, I’ve rated it, lowered it, and then went even higher than the initial rating, so I think my initial thoughts about it not being memorable were maybe incorrect.

basie nailed it, this shit IS splanky!

Loved this album. As I get older, I long for nostalgia, and this reminds me of listening to music at my grandparents house on their giant console HiFi set.

it's jazz

I don't listen to much Jazz so i don't quite know how to rate it. I'm not really a jazz fan so i don't get much from listening to albums but this one sounded nice??

Lively, quirky and with a few songs being perfect for dancing.

1001 Albums Generator 232 (2/20/2026) The Atomic Mr. Basie is an album that jumps from fun, bombastic big band to sleepy cool jazz many times across its short run time. It also has perhaps the best album cover of any album from the 50's. Songs like The Kid from Red Bank, Flight of the Foo Birds, Double-O, and Whirly-Bird are all super fun, with both Basie's piano and Frank Foster's saxophone consistently being the stars. However, the slow songs here really detract from the album's overall quality. I would say the good and bad moments balance each other out. 3.5/5, rounded down to 3. Favs: The Kid from Red Bank Flight of the Foo Birds Whirly-Bird Least Fav: After Supper

Хороший альбом но не люблю просто оркестровые альбомы плюс с мотивом и характером 50-60х годов

Mmm, musica de cine

I loved this. Approachable, snap-inducing, and timeless.

Count Basie is one of the artistes I grew up listening to, courtesy of my grandfather. It was him who introduced me to some of the best rhythm and blues, blues, swing, and of course, jazz, and Basie was right in there alongside Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and Cab Calloway. This album is probably some of the best music Basie laid down, and listening to it even now still brings back some happy memories from my childhood. That alone is reason enough to give this one five stars.

Listening to The Atomic Mr. Basie instantly paints a picture in my mind: my grandparents dropping the needle on the record, the stereo humming to life, and the two of them dancing across the living room floor. I don’t actually know if that scene ever played out in real life (though with both of my grandfathers being WWII veterans, it certainly feels possible) but that’s the unmistakable atmosphere Count Basie & His Orchestra create. It’s timeless, classic big band at its finest, and from start to finish, it was an absolute joy to hear.

This evokes all the best jazz & big band scenes that movies have placed rent-free in my head. The upbeat vibes are always front and center in big band music. Even the slower songs have an air of happiness. This is music that is fun to listen to and will never get old for me.

peak background music

decent big band record. not my type of music, but appreciated the album.

Absolutely sensational. Makes you understand why people loved to dance to Big Band and Swing. It takes you through the same sensations as techno and hardstyle. All the more remarkable that it's all being played with instruments.

This started off with a bang and remained ok.

Soft jazz album with no lyrics

My wife was a Kenny G fan back in the day. I could see me enjoying this a little more of I was on a date with her and then seeing Ron Burgundy dancing all over the tables. Yea, that would be cool, for a few minutes, then I'd have to kill him. This is Jazz. Not my thing but could see me enjoying in the right time and environment. This just wasn't the time or the environment. 2

2.5 This may quite possibly be the most misleading album cover I’ve seen on this list yet. It also sounds like it could be the oldest thus far, but it’s actually three years newer than a Sinatra album we had. It never really occurred to me until this listening that big band music is pretty much extinct aside from the occasional fancy event or New Year’s Eve performance, but I was still surprised to see in the cultural zeitgeist in 1958 nonetheless, when rock & roll had already taken the world by storm and Elvis’ hips had brought the nation to its knees. Given its appearance here, I’m guessing it’s an album that critics probably consider to be one of the last great outings for the genre. And… it’s fine? Idk, I’m no expert on big band music (I’m not even sure those exist anymore), but this sounds like most everything else I’ve heard that I would classify as such, and likewise, I found its overall enjoyability to be very dependent on my mood. At its best, it evoked thoughts of Las Vegas, old movies, and Fallout (I checked to see if the Count ever made an appearance in the games, but I guess he’s too new). At its worst, the horns were grating and it gave me a headache while I was trying to focus on work. Given my earlier comments about the state of the genre, it seems that we collectively decided as a society that there’s a time and a place for this kind of music, and a Wednesday during work doesn’t seem to be it. I could definitely see myself enjoying this more in the right frame of mind and environment, but given its overall unremarkable nature and the fact that it got on my nerves half the time, I don’t feel I can go any higher than a 2.5. I guess ask me again how I feel come New Year’s Eve. Or when I'm in Vegas celebrating Michigan State’s NCAA men’s hockey championship. Go green.

Eh it's instrumental jazz. Best song: Duet

it was unexpected and fun

Jazz, pfft they just make it up as they go along, anyone can do that. In all seriousness though, this album was a great listen from the first note. I usually prefer blues jazz over the big band sound, however the skill level of the musicians and the overall composition was awesome. The horns and piano trade the main melody/spotlight really well, while the walking bass and restrained drums provide a solid foundation. The best thing about this list is stepping out of my comfort zone, and while there’s been a few duds, albums like this one are definitely rewarding.

This is my jam. No notes - the nuke on the cover is fully earned.

It seems like it's been a long time since I've had a good jazz album on this list so this one is very welcome today. Not a lot to say about this one, it's great big band and exactly what you would expect from Count Basie. Probably not the best big band album out there but solid nonetheless. And a very strange cover for this kind of music. 3.5/5 but rounding down.

Didn't know this was the dude who played the piano for fly me to the moon Gotta see if my dad has it on vinyl

classic

Just general feel good music. The harmonies are absolutely crazy Highlights: Midnite Blue, Lil Darlin

Big band sounds just aren’t my thing. I am having a wretched run at the moment. Rap, big bands, crooning, 60s folk. FFS give me something with electric guitars before I explode.

Pretty good jazz album

Goddamn, these cats are cooking. Ughhh they’re swinging!!

Clean and quality. Just not something id listen to regularly. 2/5

That is some heavy music, and yet danceable. Would love to have been in the room to feel this band move air.

Somehow never heard this before. Was quite good. This note is a reminder to myself to listen again

a nice old jazz album that sends you on a journey

BIG BAND JAZZ! Great way to start the day Favorite Songs: Lil' Darlin', The Kid from Red Bank

Goes hard

Rating mostly based on how hard the album art goes.

i like jazz but i couldnt listen to the whole album

cool

Basie at his best, Big Band at its best. Lots of great energy and soaring melodies and a sweet ballad at the end. Reminds you why swing jazz is a real thing.

Jazz that’s palatable to white people in the 50s.

Just not my jam. The music was pleasant enough. I felt like I was at the "Enchantment Under the Sea" dance in Back to the Future, just before Michael J. Fox comes in. It was all very well done, it just didn't wow me.

Not the biggest fan of Jazz, but I think it was alright. Favorite song: Midnight Blue.

Did not enjoy this. Was technically good but not really what I felt like listening to.

Certainly something I would normally never gravitate towards. Didn't hate it. Don't know if I would listen again though 4/10

Fun album showcasing a lot of talented musicians. Despite the age of this music it holds up with a style and sweep that has so far held up over time and been reused/quoted and reworked even now.

Loved this album! Felt like a huge, exciting end to the big band era. There's this cool "fun with doom" vibe to it. The music is super tight but also feels fresh. It's got everything from super energetic tracks to more mellow ones, total balance. And even though I'm not always into jazz, the musicians are amazing. It's a really cool, polished record that totally captures the 50s.

OK not bad

I quite enjoyed this, some big band, swing/jazz that feels like something my grandparents might have listened to, and maybe because I’ve just finished watching the 2nd series, but I can’t help thinking of Fallout with the atomic explosion on the cover and the fact this was released in the 50s. When I first was served the album, my instinct was this was going to be some form of rap / hip hop artist with a name like Count Basie, but the 1958 release date soon quelled those thoughts. Not something I can imagine myself choosing to listen to again but nonetheless, enjoyable.

Opening track is a banger but the album loses momentum as it goes on. Some solid playing here but swing isn't totally my thing. I prefer the modular jazz of Miles Davis or fusion. Still, a decent listen.

timeless and great, but i don't think i'm just gonna put it on for casual listening highlights: Flight of the Foo Birds

Fine to study to, but that's about it

Pretty good as background music

noice

Not what I expected at all but thoroughly enjoyed it

Bought this a few years ago and gave it 5* then, but it dropped off my radar. Back on again now…. I love the way that the arrangements move effortlessly from big time swing to after midnight shmooze, and just flows along. 1. After Supper 2. Whirly-Bird 3. Midnite Blue 4. Lil' Darlin'

While I'm glad to have heard it, It's not going to find a place in my collection I would certainly have preferred some vocals in the collection, rather than just instrumentals Its good, just not really something that I need in my life

Not what I thought this was gonna be jazz. Meaning of don't judge a book by it's cover.

I first encountered Count Basie on a mix tape that was given to me at school. It started with Nile and ended with Sigur Ros. This was pleasant enough but started to get repetitive. It worked better as part of a mixtape. Also, I don’t think there has ever been a greater disconnect between an album cover and the music on the album.

Not usually a fan of swing based jazz but this kept a good amount of energy throughout and had a number of interesting solos thrown in. Some technically proficient musicians should be par for the course but they come together here to be something greater than the sum of their parts. Probably worth a listen in more detail again to get the most from it.

I thought it was going to be 50s slop, but it is actually quite nice jazz. Not anything mind-blowing, it's good ambience music to have in the background while you're doing something else. Most liked: Double-O Most disliked: Midnite Blue

not what I expected by album cover, nice album tho would recommend

I'm probably overrating this one, but i love Big Band music, and there wasn't a bad song on this album. This is one I want to go out and find on vinyl just to have something to put on. Its not Heavy Weather, its not Kind Of Blue, its just good Big Band Jazz music. Is that so wrong?

There's a reason Count Basie's name is still known all these years later

When I got this album generated I saw this very punk album cover with an atomic bomb explosion, so I was amazed when I read a second later that the record was actually released in 1958. The jazz guys were truly ahead of their time with making original album covers! A Big Band album where brass is the predominant sound, The Atomic Mr Basie is a very fun listen and a joyous album all around. My young ears hadn't even realised until I read other reviews that this is the kind of music people used to dance to 70 years ago, but this must be some amazing album for that. 4/5

Haven't heard of him before. From the very first minute it felt like I'm the main character in an old animated series about to commit acts of absolute tomfoolery. There were also some more standard jazz tunes on this album too but overall it was quite fun 3/5

As a random album that came across my plate, I found it to be fun, energetic, and high-energy, but it also had some really good mellow sections with wonderful pianos and great percussion. That being said, I'm always open to listening to anything that comes my way, but this was definitely the first big band, swing, ballroom jazz album I've ever played from beginning to end. Other than that, it's fair to say this is definitely not my usual style of music, so I don't have much of a reference point on what makes this such a monumental album compared to others from its era and genre.

Old school orchestra was pretty ok

Wo simmer da? In 1958?? ah ja simmer. Demfall legitim dass ned so fühle, 1960 isch scho biz d Untergrenze vo musig woni no fühle. 2 mal Mr Saxobeat

Zuu jazzig experimentell sooorry. Bin nöd so bildet.

great classic big band!

oh reviewer do you remember going into the pieces thinking "my moot kinda digs jazz and especially digs swing" trying to finish these things and fell in love with them. its now his 3 in the morning and you struggle to finish your homework, letting out the longest sigh ever and throw your pen away. the music rushed in at the last minutes before your 5pm and you lie frustrated on the bed, with the bombastic jazz tunes in your ears, whole body stressed out. looking at his social media, seeing his fanart and sighed over your posts that nobody ever read. the music became blend and so is your life, syncopated with expectations in and out of the beat, sometimes loud and cheery and sometimes calm until you have fallen behind. 3/5

Não gosto muito de jazz alegrinho, então a maioria não é pra mim aqui.. Mas teve alguns momentos bem fortes - #8 por exemplo (Midnite Blue).

Great stuff from The Count.

One of the finest recordings of a big band ever put to disc. Neil hefti arrangements, sublime direction and a masterclass for the up and coming rock n rollers who took over.

Nice Big Band vibe. Considering it was recorded at the dawn of the HiFi era sound is remarkably clear and crisp

Awesome swing album.

olive gatden

A really enjoyable listen. Not much stands out aside from Whirly-Bird but I don't feel like it needs to, flows super nicely. Also, very funny to me to imagine this being someone's favorite album ever made. Just a dude who can't get enough of this.

5/10

214/1001 Count Basie - The Atomic Count Basie Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ✅ This was absolutely wonderful. It's quite in your face and a lot going on. Definitely need more listens to catch the subtleties.

One of the best Big Band leaders, the big uptempo tunes are where he shines, but the slow tunes drag if you're not dancing

The Atomic Mr Basie is quite enjoyable. It comes from right at the end of the big band jazz era and feels like one last hurrah for the genre. I really liked "Splanky", although "The Kid from Red Bank" and "Flight of the Foo Birds" were good as well. This album leaves me wanting to try out more albums of the genre. Favorite Song: "Splanky"

Pa leer

Classic big band jazz

najdžez album ikada. klasika. veoma dobro.

Great vibes

2/2/26 - listened on drive to dentist. Banger of a big band jazz album. Top Song - Duet

Count Basie was always my favorite of the big band leaders, although despite listening to compilations and learning to play some of his standards, I never listened to one of his LPs. In a way, I’m surprised be reviewing his work this list since so much of his output is from before the standardization of the long-playing format. But, of course, this release shows him moving with the times and responding to the changing habits of music consumers. Maybe I’m reading into the title too much, but for me, this music evokes the aspirational energy of a world entering the Space Age, wrestling with the tensions of a society that has just engineered its own destruction. But the brightest spots are tracks like “Lil’ Darlin’,” which feel like a bittersweet appreciation for the present moment, in its ephemeral and unfixed beauty.

Given the history of the Count and his place in music history, this is a great album by a great artist. It does not confine to a single subgenre, but rather spans and exemplifies all of Basie’s talents whether that be Big Band, swing, bop or ballad. Powerful artist, powerful album cover and explosive sound.

Really Good Big Band. I haven’t heard much Basie, and it’s not a genre I listen to that often, but this is a really solid record

A good example of what it is and represents but not something I can sit and listen to. Reminds me too much of those days in the UK and in the early 60’s when all there was to listen to was the BBC Light programme and big bands were the thing along with crooners. Still my dad liked it so that’s good. Note to younger reviewers - when you’re slagging off dad rock you need to remember this Count Basie stuff was the dad rock when we were cutting our musical teeth. Dire Straits et al don’t appear so bad after all? 2/5 31/1/26

I've never listened to so much jazz in one go before. Jazz and baking are a great combination. I don't really understand this kind of music. Today I finally realised that it doesn't matter for my enjoyment and appreciation. To my surprise, I had a great time.

Enjoyable, but I'm not going to be rushing to relisten. It's a solid 3, but doesn't have "the sauce" of a 4 IMO.

2.09

This was great!

No ta x

Pls no

I imagine this album would have made a much bigger impact hearing it for the first time in 1958, but almost 70 years later in 2026, it's still a very enjoyable listen. I can't help but think of the movie "Whiplash" when I hear this type of big band jazz/swing music. The precision in the playing and in the orchestration is amazing. As someone who plays a few instruments, it's impossible to not be impressed by the talent of the musicians. The rhythm section in particular. Not to gloss over the the piano, sax and trumpet sections, which are just as impressive, in a looser sort of way, but the bass and drum musicians really caught my attention. The drum fills are fantastic, and the bass moves all over the fretboard at a frantic pace, both somehow always remaining the solid backbone of the tracks. I enjoyed all the music, and if I were to see something like this live, I'd be very impressed. But as an album in 2026? Enjoyable, but not ground-breaking and it didn't really stick with me. Impressive playing throughout, easy to appreciate in the moment, but not something I feel the urge to rush back to.

Straight bops

Great. There's times when he's really using the power of a big band. Other times it sound like three blokes in the corner of a room - unnecessary when you've got them all together!