1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #9 Count Basie - The Atomic Mr. Basie (1957)

COUNT BASIE – THE ATOMIC MR BASIE

Track Listing (standout tracks in bold
1. Kid From Red Bank
2. Duet
3. After Supper
4. Flight Of The Foo Birds
5. Double O
6. Teddy The Toad
7. Whirly Bird
8. Midnite Blue
9. Splanky
10. Fantail
11. Li'l Darlin'

Now this is a jazz album I really liked. Perhaps maybe not considered as ‘daring’ as what Duke Ellington had done at Newport in 1956, but this is big-band at it’s finest.
As I knew nothing about him at all, I did some reading about Count Basie and the recording of this album and discovered that the release of this album in late 1957 actually marked the beginning of a new phase in Count Basie's career. A new record company and a new big band sound. Recorded over two days of sessions the music at the time caught Basie’s core audience by surprise with it’s big band sound.
To me “Splanky” is just jazz at it’s finest. I don’t claim to be a jazz expert in anyway – but this just sounds to me what jazz SHOULD sound like!! Foot tapping, dance music all the way.

ABSOLUTE ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR ROCKTOBER 1:
Kevin Griffin from Better Than Ezra is 40;