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Description of Hard Bop

 
Hard Bop is a subgenre of Bop that developed in the mid-1950s following the death of Charlie Parker, largely building upon the legacy of the classic Bop established by Parker and his cohorts in the '40s. But whereas classic Bop built much of its harmonic vocabulary from Pop and showtunes, Hard Bop looked primarily to the blues for its influence. It also incorporated church music, using melodies and call-and-response patterns derived from Gospel. For this reason, some Hard Bop fell under the critics' label "soul jazz." The swing was deeper and less fluid than Bop; some critics even called it "Funk." Hard Bop also incorporated Afro-Cuban styles such as Salsa and Mambo to form its own brand of Latin Jazz rhythm. Overall, it's one of the most brash, raucous forms of modern jazz.
 

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Hard Bop Key Artists

 
Art Blakey

This hard-hitting drummer
was justly renowned for
nurturing young talent (and
future stars) for decades.
One of the premier Hard...

Art Pepper

This troubled Cool Jazz
saxophone force of the
1950s reemerged as a
blistering Post Bop maverick
in the 1970s. Pepper's biti...

Bobby Timmons

Timmons' lean, hard-driving
and bluesy piano chops
helped develop soul jazz
and funk.

Cannonball Adderley

This hard bopping alto sax
star was one of the biggest
names in jazz during the
soul-infused 1960s.
Adderley got funkier and...

Hampton Hawes

A West Coast jazz mainstay,
Hawes' stylist rapid-fire, yet
fluid piano approach can
get delicate on ballads.

Hank Mobley

While many of Mobley's
Hard Bop contemporaries
roared, this tenor man's
tone stayed warm, rich and
gentle.

Horace Silver

Horace helped define Hard
Bop with his lean piano
style & he's equally important
to jazz for his excellent
compositions.

Joe Henderson

This tenor sax virtuoso
remained a critical favorite
for decades before he
crossed over to major jazz
stardom in the 1990s. Hen...

Lee Morgan

Murdered at a tragically
young age, this trumpet
virtuoso still managed to put
his stamp on jazz. He cut
stunning albums. Morgan's...

Sonny Rollins

A true saxophone colossus,
Rollins is regarded as one of
the finest jazz musicians in
history. Though his peers
thought him a musical gen...

Wes Montgomery

Jazz guitarist Montgomery's
rich, rounded tones and
stunning solos are still
studied and copied.
Montgomery's early recor...

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