9) Count Basie: 'The Atomic Mr. Basie'

Best known for his big band work in the 1930s, Count Basie is another one of the jazz greats. It was during this period he perfected blues-drenched 4-4 rhythm of Kansas City from where he hailed. Yet by the 1950s, there was just no market for the big bands of old. As fashions changed; so did musicians in order to survive in the music business. It is also of no surprise that the longevity of the greatest musicians, in the case of Basie fifty years, is largely due to them constantly evolving and changing with the times, or in many cases, actually setting the tone for times.

After initially disbanding group work in the 1950s, Basie returned in 1958 with this masterpiece: ‘The Atomic Mr. Basie’. This recording is largely regarded as his best work from that period and, in fact, never to be surpassed again during his lifetime. Basie obviously felt that the idea of a big band was redundant whereas all that was required was some fresh blood. This came with the inclusion of Neal Hefti as the primary composer and arranger of these eleven compositions. Not only does Hefti create amazing moodscapes from frenetically paced, full sounding numbers, such as the opener ‘The Kid From Red Bank’; but also wonderful late night solitary numbers where all you have for company is your thoughts and a scotch, as in ‘After Supper’. Not only this, but he has done so in such a way which captures the greatness of each individual musician involved in this project.

Eddie Davis provides wonderful saxophone solos and there is an equally impressive all star trumpet section led by Thad Jones. Underpinning all of this is the flawless rhythm section of bassist, Eddie Jones; drummer, Sonny Payne; and rhythm guitarist, Freddie Green. Then of course there is Count Basie himself. He plays piano with such understatement in such numbers (‘The Kid From Red Bank’) that one would think he is doing his best not to be heard. Other times, he shows he is capable of full bombast, all accomplished with ease and swing.

Part of the reason for this albums success was that Basie built upon the blue foundations but this recording appeared to see Basie being more ambitious. He went beyond the blues to create something far bolder and dynamic which was able to sound modern and fresh (such as including some dazzling improvisation common within the emerging bebop sound) but still contained within the concept of a big band setting.

I was actually surprised at just how much I liked this album. I certainly approached this with a certain degree of hesitancy realizing that Basie was fusing elements of bebop with big band. However, this album never loses the listener as many bebop albums do. The beat is always solid and never drifts into endless improvisation. Equally, the melodies are crisp and memorable. Whether the pace is glacial or frantic the listen is still equally as impressive. ‘Duet’ is a fantastic muted trumpet piece with an unforgettable melody and ‘A Flight Of The Foo Birds’ really does deliver on all fronts. ‘Li’l Darlin’ ‘ is Basie’s answer to Ellington’s ‘Mood Indigo’ and just as impressive but it is the later two numbers ‘Teddy The Toad’ and ‘Splanky’ which remain most impressive for me. Indeed, the latter almost epitomizes everything which is good about a jazz recording.

This is largely considered the final great work of Count Basie’s, as well as gifted arranger Hefti. The former settled comfortably into churning out his back catalogue until his death in 1984 whereas the later ditched serious jazz for the glitz of Hollywood. Batman theme anyone?

Standout Tracks: ‘Splanky’, ‘Teddy The Toad’, ‘Duet’, ‘ A Flight Of The Foo Birds’

Rating: 9/10