hard bop
A style of jazz from the mid-1950s that blended bebop complexity with blues, gospel, and R&B influences.
In Depth
Hard bop was a reaction against the perceived coolness and intellectualism of West Coast jazz. Musicians like Art Blakey, Horace Silver, and Cannonball Adderley reinfused jazz with the earthy, soulful feeling of African American church music and blues. Hard bop retained bebop's harmonic sophistication but added funkier rhythms, bluesier melodies, and a more emotionally direct approach. It remains the most popular style of acoustic jazz.
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers served as a finishing school for young jazz talent; alumni include Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, and Wynton Marsalis.