The Atomic Mr. Basie

I have heard Lil' Darlin' before in media somewhere. I do love this old style jazz.

This was a great soundtrack while I washed dishes! I’m glad I listened to it, but ultimately it’s not for me.

I don't have strong feelings on the sound here, it is very 50s and there are moments that made me smile or that I enjoyed listening through but I think it's just fine overall - 5/10

It's hard to come up with a band or ensemble that does this better.

This is perfect.

I can hang with this. Pretty swing-y but with a bop edge.

Some very fun instrumental jazz. Sounds like pure, distilled spirit of the 50s. The playing is top tier, and I enjoy hearing it.

I don't know what this is. "Big band"? Sorry, I only listen to small band.

Highlights: 'Flight of the Foo Birds', the name 'Splanky'

The cover is a very bold move, but the contents lived up to it. I really enjoyed this.

Classic big band sounds.

Better than Coldplay

Fun high-energy high tempo big band dance music with some amazingly raunchy sax solos, swinging beats, walking bass, playful back and forth between the parts of the band, and, in the slower moments, some mellow moods. I can't be the only one that kept expecting to hear the Family Guy song half the time.

Big band jazz just hits differently

First off, I'm blown away by the album art (pun intended). If there was a more punk rock album cover put out in 1958, please send it to me. This is worth owning on vinyl just to have the sleeve.
I love big band music, but I have spent no meaningful time digging into specific albums. This was a pretty easy listen for me, and a good way to start an overcast/drizzly Monday. It's certainly an "in your face" version of this kind of music, so you better be ready to go with that energy.
"The Kid From Red Bank" punches you in the gut to start the album, so I appreciate that it's followed by "Duet" and "After Supper" which help you catch your breath and get into the Swing of things (pun clearly intended). Once you're back on your feet, "Flight of the Foo Birds" starts swinging again and doesn't stop until "Midnite Blue". Finally, you get a break again. Ok, it's only been 13 minutes, but in this weird fight analogy I've apparently committed to, that's a long time! This notable change of pace made "Midnite Blue" stand out to me on first listen, more than either of the earlier slow songs. From here "Splanky" speeds things up again, but it knows you're tired and your feet are moving slower than they did in the earlier rounds. "Fantail" follows a little quicker, just to see if you have one last spar in you, and "Lil Darlin'" sees you slowly shuffle back to your corner to await the decision.
Does any of this make sense? Of course not. I should have written this like a dance card, not a fight card, because that's a much more normal way to analyze the pacing of an album. Beyond that, why is the first track compared to one punch, some tracks are full rounds, and some are something in between? Great question. Maybe 7 people will ever read this far anyway, so I don't feel particularly compelled to fix it at this point.
Overall, a fun listen, and a good excuse to poke around the Count Basie discography today.

Cool, 50s lush sound, wish for just a little more variety

I was excited to hear this, I have a history with swing dance, and I wanted to hear what a bona-fide big band swing album released in the era of hard bop, modal jazz and free jazz sounds like. I am pleased to say it sounds very good, this is effectively a perfect swing album, with incredible performances and great pacing. Most importantly, this release captures the joy of swing as an artform very nicely. I’m kind of torn on what to score this, but I’ll settle on a 4, although it’s a 5 if I’m listening to it while dancing.

From the moment I saw the album cover I knew this would be a fun one, and it did not disappoint. Every song has a different mood, the slower moments feel classy, and they always pick right back up with some type of fun and energetic (dare I say 💥 explosive) swing.

This is some of the best jazz we've had on the list. Bravo Mr Basie 👏

Incredible jazz record. It's played with so much precision that I cannot not like it.

Great album!

Swing > Jazz