Hard Bop, Funky , Gospel Jazz

"Funky Hard Bop Regression"

• Funky refers to rollicking rhythm feeling
• Sometimes called "soul"
• Associated with African American church music
• Hard refers to a driving performance
• Bop regression implies a return to elements of bop

Intent

• A reaction to the intellectualism of cool
• Lively, emotional contrast
• Adopted oral idioms from gospel and blues
• Geographically pointed to NYC

The Music

• Borrowed and simulated blues and gospel
• Use of blue tones and ambiguous tonality
• Loose style with melodies harmonized like in church
• Many tunes played in a minor key

Gospel Jazz

• Extension of the funky style
• Use of more triadic harmonies
• Definite feeling of early gospel music
• Use of "plagal cadence" (A-men chords)

Horace Silver

• Pianist, progenitor of the funky style
• Founded Jazz Messengers with Art Blakey
• Contributed new songs to the jazz canon
• Standardized the quintet sound of the 50s/60s
• Trumpet, sax, piano, bass, drums

Art Blakey

• At the forefront of mainstream jazz
• 40 year career, discovered many future jazz greats
• Led the Jazz Messengers
• Defined the aggressive, hard bop approach to drums

Developing Mainstream

• Blakey created a legacy group moving towards
• mainstream sound - not just artistic elite
• Cultivated artists, giving them a place to hone skills
• Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, 
• Branford and Wynton Marsalis

Sonny Rollins

• Tenor saxophonist
• Melodic improvisation - disregarding chords structure
• Improvises 20-30 minutes at a time
• Both cool and bop influences
• More concerned with fragments - similar to Thelonious Monk

JOhn Coltrane

• Considered one of the most important saxophonists in 20th century
• Short, meteoric career - only 12 years
• Gained recognition while playing with Miles Davis (1955-1960)
• Technically brilliant - arpeggiated so rapidly, called "sheets of sound"
• Reintroduced the soprano sax - also played tenor

Charles Mingus

• Jazz bassist - difficult to classify in style
• Identified with funky, gospel, and free
• Ties to swing and bop traditions
• Played with rare emotional intensity