I grew up around jazz music. I love hearing jazz in films, on street corners (not in the prostitute sense of street corner, but just the regular guy walking down the Bourbon Street corner) and in nightclubs. Sitting down on a chair and playing jazz on Spotify is not something I find exciting, especially if I have to concentrate on listening to it. If I were cleaning the house, then I would think it is perfect. Count Basie’s The Atomic Mr. Basie is such a album for cleaning the house.
I wonder if at some point when jazz came out did someone say, “I hate this new music. It all sounds the same.” ? I could not tell the difference from one artist to the next. They literally all sound the same to me. I bet you could put a bunch of jazz artist on Spotify in a playlist and I would think it was all the same artist. Some of the songs on The Atomic Mr. Basie remind me of the old Batman series. I keep waiting to hear a Bam ! or a Pow!, but they never do it so I feel the same disappointment I did every day of my childhood.
I do like music without words from time to time, but usually I think too much. I drift away thinking about things that are too random. I wonder if Count Basie is related to Count Chocula, but then I think someone might think it is racist that I did not think of Count Dracula first.
Overall, if you like jazz at all, then this is a solid album. I did enjoy it, but it is not something I can listen to often if I want to remain present today. After a few more listens, it grew on me. It is a bit melancholy which is a feeling I should try avoiding.
an ocean roars 