The Complete Atomic Basie

Performer: Count Basie
Engineer: Bobby Arnold
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Count Basie (piano); Joe Williams (vocals); Wendell Culley, Snooky Young, Thad Jones, Joe Newman (trumpet); Henry Coker, Al Grey, Benny Powell (trombone); Marshall Royal, Frank Wess, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Frank Foster, Charles Fowlkes (reeds); Freddie Green (guitar); Eddie Jones (bass); Sonny Payne (drums). Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded at Capitol Studios, New York, New York between October 21 & 22, 1957. Includes liner by Barry Ulanov & Michael Cuscuna. Personnel: Count Basie (piano); Joe Williams (vocals); Freddie Green (guitar); Joe Newman (trumpet); Henry Coker, Al Grey, Benny Powell (trombone); Sonny Payne (drums). This 1957 release features Neal Hefti's arrangements and the ever-exciting sound of what became known as the Second Testament Basie Band (the first having featured Lester Young, Herschel Evans, Dicky Wells et al). The album opens with a fiery version of "The Kid from Red Bank"; other highlights include "Whirly-Bird" and "Teddy the Toad." As usual, Count Basie's stride-inflected piano style and the brass section's sudden, sharp stabs help define the band's sound. The COMPLETE ATOMIC BASIE isn't just about screaming high notes and blistering scale flourishes though; subtlety and dynamic variety characterize several charts. We hear this best in the reeds' lilting swing on "Midnite Blue," and in the quiet, mellow groove of "Li'l Darlin'"; the sparseness of the latter's arrangement highlights the often-neglected guitarist Freddie Green's inimitable strumming. One of Basie's finest albums, THE COMPLETE ATOMIC BASIE is a swinging gem.

Simply put, Count Basie led the most swinging of the classic big bands. His youthful education in playing stride piano in New York was meshed with a deep immersion in the hard-swinging Kansas City jazz scene of the early 1930s. As Basie moved from sideman to bandleader, his tight-knit ensemble eventually came to rival Duke Ellington's group. The Basie orchestra's perfectly interlocking rhythm section provided a springboard for a succession of jazz giants--most notably tenor man Lester Young--to launch their solo excursions. Basie's big-band vision was so strong that his group continued for decades after his passing.

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