The Basie group of the late 1950s wrote the book on much of what's expected from the average big band, so it's a pleasure to hear it done much better than average. Perfect blend, laid-back swing, synchronised phrasing, and the blues as a never-ending source of inspiration and material. The reissue leads off with the first LP done for Roulette, known eventually as The Atomic Mr. Basie, with original scores by Hefti and with Lockjaw Davis giving piquancy to the solos. He's not heard on the rest, but Basie, One More Time (originals by Quincy) and Chairman Of The Board (charts from in-house writers Thad, the two Franks and Ernie Wilkins) are hardly inferior. A highlight is the extremely live recording of Basie At Birdland with a couple of longer tracks, and a remake of ‘Whirly-Bird’ that has an extended solo by Jon Hendricks instead of Lockjaw. The low point is one of Basie's two LPs with the young Tony Bennett – fortunately, it only lasts 27½ minutes – but the selection as a whole is full of the feelgood factor.