Art Blakey - Tough!

[bebopbob]

Has Art Blakey's Argo/Cadet LP "Tough!" ever been issued on compact disc?

[JohnS]

UK Affinity issued this on cd coupled with the Max Roach session.

[ejp626]

UK Affinity issued this on cd coupled with the Max Roach session.

It looks like this CD (Hard Bop Academy) is kind of hard to find. Charly also released the Blakey session backed with a Max Roach session (presumably the same one) on a CD called The Hard Drive (different from the Bethlehem CD), which is also OOP but a little cheaper used.

[felser]

UK Affinity issued this on cd coupled with the Max Roach session.

It looks like this CD (Hard Bop Academy) is kind of hard to find. Charly also released the Blakey session backed with a Max Roach session (presumably the same one) on a CD called The Hard Drive (different from the Bethlehem CD), which is also OOP but a little cheaper used.

Much as I like both Blakey (I have more CD's by him than by anyone else) and Roach, both of those sessions are dogs, relative to their other work of the period.

[JohnS]

UK Affinity issued this on cd coupled with the Max Roach session.

It looks like this CD (Hard Bop Academy) is kind of hard to find. Charly also released the Blakey session backed with a Max Roach session (presumably the same one) on a CD called The Hard Drive (different from the Bethlehem CD), which is also OOP but a little cheaper used.

Much as I like both Blakey (I have more CD's by him than by anyone else) and Roach, both of those sessions are dogs, relative to their other work of the period.

I think you are being a bit harsh on theses albums. Not the most exciting things by these artists but nevertheless a very pleasant listen as you'd expect with Hardman, McLean. Dorham and Mobley.

Edited May 20, 2009 by JohnS

[Dan Gould]

I'm with John. Anything with Mobley and Dorham ain't gonna be a "dog" even relatively speaking.

[felser]

I'm with John. Anything with Mobley and Dorham ain't gonna be a "dog" even relatively speaking.

The Roach session has some serious audio issues, very poorly recorded. The Blakey is a short album with a long ballad medley by players who had not yet matured very much.

[jazzbo]

I'm with John too. Felser that is. These really aren't sessions where everyone appears "on." They would both be more enjoyable in better remastered sound, the cd I have really sounds crappy. But they're never going to be anyone's "top notch" Blakey or Roach, I'd wager.

[Cliff Englewood]

I'm with John too. Felser that is. These really aren't sessions where everyone appears "on." They would both be more enjoyable in better remastered sound, the cd I have really sounds crappy. But they're never going to be anyone's "top notch" Blakey or Roach, I'd wager.

I accept that wager. I don't actually accept that wager, I just really like the word wager. Wager. :wub:

[Stereojack]

I'm with John too. Felser that is. These really aren't sessions where everyone appears "on." They would both be more enjoyable in better remastered sound, the cd I have really sounds crappy. But they're never going to be anyone's "top notch" Blakey or Roach, I'd wager.

I've got the original LP's. Both sound fine. Don't blame the original engineers because the hacks at Charly couldn't get it right! While I agree that these may not reside at the top of either leader's discography, they are decent sessions with plenty of worthwhile music.

[Peter Friedman]

I'm with John too. Felser that is. These really aren't sessions where everyone appears "on." They would both be more enjoyable in better remastered sound, the cd I have really sounds crappy. But they're never going to be anyone's "top notch" Blakey or Roach, I'd wager.

I've got the original LP's. Both sound fine. Don't blame the original engineers because the hacks at Charly couldn't get it right! While I agree that these may not reside at the top of either leader's discography, they are decent sessions with plenty of worthwhile music.

My copy is on a French Vogue CD. It is titled "Percussion Discussion".

I agree with Stereojack that while not the very best by these two groups, there is nonetheless some good music here.

[jazzbo]

I'm with John too. Felser that is. These really aren't sessions where everyone appears "on." They would both be more enjoyable in better remastered sound, the cd I have really sounds crappy. But they're never going to be anyone's "top notch" Blakey or Roach, I'd wager.

I've got the original LP's. Both sound fine. Don't blame the original engineers because the hacks at Charly couldn't get it right! While I agree that these may not reside at the top of either leader's discography, they are decent sessions with plenty of worthwhile music.

I didn't intend the blame to fall anywhere but on Charly.

[JohnS]

I have the US Cadet 2lp set of Percussion Discussion. Sound is quite adequate imo.

[Head Man]

Sound is quite adequate imo.

'Quite adequate'? Now.......that's a recommendation

[Brad]

I've got a Cd entiteld "The Hard Drive" that's got Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and the Max Roach Quintet on it. It's from Classic Jazz (CDCD 1095). Is that the one you mean?