In the fall of 2004, I was a guitarist in an emo band that somehow made it onto my school’s advanced Jazz Band. The first sheet of music handed to me was “Basie Straight Ahead” (which is not on this album), and I quickly realized how in over my head I was. And it wasn’t just me–it took the entire band five months to be able to play the entire song through.

To listen to Basie’s orchestra though, you would never guess that there is such a sophistication lurking behind their bouncing swing, and such is Basie’s genius. These tunes seem subtle enough–rarely as brash or unbounded as most other big bands. Instead, the orchestra follows the piano and builds as needed. The horns may come in as a gentle breeze, then die down. Or, they may swell into a hurricane at a moments notice. Basie’s mastery was in never overusing one color in his palette, and the world is richer for it. I may not be an expert in big band jazz, but I do know one thing: I usually don’t like big band, but I love this.