Hard BopHard Bop was as much a cultural shift as it was a musical one. African-American musicians, inspired by the civil rights movement in the 1950's reacted against the white dominated West Coast School of Jazz with this new style, which often employed folk melodies and church rhythms, similar to those found in Gospel. It is probably because of this that it has not received as much recognition or prominence within jazz history as it deserves.Notable musicians such as Art Blakey and Horace Silver wanted a return to popular forms of jazz, where the emphasis was on enjoyment and feeling rather than appeasing the critics. Art Blakey encapsulates it when he said "We're here to have a ball". In most art forms there are some camps who think that anything popular is necessarily non-artistic. In my experience, this attitude is pedalled by those who are either: 1)Non artists or 2)Unpopular
Perhaps this is what ultimately gave rise to the Hard bop movement. As new music schools floursihed and elitism began to take hold within the jazz world, it was going to be at the risk of forgetting the reason why it developed in the first place -to bring enjoyment and a sense of freedom to those who were playing and listening.
Because after all, life is short and if there's no enjoyment, there seems little point! Return from Hard Bop to jazz History
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