Count Basie - The Complete Atomic Basie
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Count BasieEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1994-05-31
Music Label: Blue Note Records
Soundtracks:
- The Kid From Red Bank
- Duet
- After Supper
- Flight Of The Foo Birds
- Double-O
- Teddy The Toad
- Whirly-Bird
- Midnite Blue
- Splanky
- Fantail
- Li'l Darlin'
- Silks And Satins
- Sleepwalker's Serenade (Alternate Take)
- Sleepwalker's Serenade
- The Late Late Show
- The Late Late Show (Vocal Version)
Free Music Notes for The Complete Atomic Basie
Free Music Review: Definitely explosive
Hit: 5 Stars
I've been on a big time big band kick of late, so after I got done pulling out (and putting back) a bunch of my Duke Ellington stuff, I bought some things new to my collection, including Thad Jones' Consummation and this highly recommended (by The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings: Eighth Edition (Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings)) work. After a couple of days with Consummation, and loving it to death, I realized that I hadn't yet given my Atomic Basie a listen and that Thad was with Count at the time of the Atomic recording, so I was curious to see if I would find the roots of Jones on this CD. I'm not exactly sure I found the roots of Jones. I think I might have found the whole tree. In big band annals, this recording has to be in the top three. It has a ton a depth and it plumbs every possible dimension to the fullest. The songs are a good mix of "blow 'em out" tunes as well as soothing ballads and big band swing standards, even including one vocal piece, an alternate take of The Late Late Show. What sets this apart from other big band recordings is the piano playing of Count Basie, as distinctive and prevalent as ever. Some might even get a little tired of hearing the famous Basie lick, or threads of it where he throws it in, but personally, I think it is like the artist's signature on a painting and I consider the work more valuable when it has it than when it does not. And most important for the audiophiles out there, this recording, although it is more than 50 years old now, is remarkably clean. The songs are mixed well, the instruments sound sharp and bright, and the solos are never out of balance with the support sections. Indeed, this recording sounds remarkably similar to Consummation in that its production is extremely modern sounding and Rice Krispie (snap-crackle-pop) free. I try not to get too casual in my reviews so that everything ends up getting five stars, but this one is truly deserving of that high ranking and praise.
For the jazz history buff and those who want to explore Basie's work further, I highly recommend picking up Basie's The Complete Decca Recordings, which features more of his singing as well as music more typical of the formative years of big band and swing music, instead of the already accomplished and fully developed style of big band featured in this recording. And for the music history buff, there is also a new book out: Dream Lucky: When FDR was in the White House, Count Basie was on the radio, and everyone wore a hat.... I haven't read it, but The Wall Street Journal had good things to say about it, so it is probably worth a look.
The Complete Atomic Basie Poster
Bristling with excitement and electricity, this 1958 album represents the finest accomplishment of Count Basie's "New Testament" big band. His "Old Testament" band of the late 1930s, featuring stars Lester Young, Herschel Evans, Dickie Wells, and Buck Clayton, perfected the blues-drenched, straight 4/4 rhythm of Kansas City swing. Building on the blues foundation, this 1950s band features more ambitious compositions and a more dynamic sound and incorporates more modern developments. One constant, however, is the anchoring rhythm guitar of Freddie Green. As always, Basie can dig deeply into robust stride statements or choose each note as if he had to pay for them separately. Neal Hefti, the primary composer and arranger here, marvelously captures the strengths of each individual musician. His arrangements sparkle exuberantly on the up tunes and create vivid and exotic moods on the slower ones; clever and innovative without ever being overblown. Beefy tenor Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, who was only in the band for a relatively short period, offers the most valuable and vital solo contributions, recalling Ben Webster's tenderness at times, squeaking and honking like an R&B man at others. --Marc GreilsamerBlues Music CDs
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