- Art Blakey
Arthur (Art) Blakey (October 11 1919-October 16 1990), also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Along with Kenny Clarke and Max Roach, he was one of the inventors of the modern bebop style of drumming. He is known as a powerful musician and a vital groover; his brand of bluesy, funky hard bop was (and remains) profoundly influential on mainstream jazz. - Horace Silver
Horace Silver (born September 2, 1928), born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva in Norwalk, Connecticut, is an American jazz pianist and composer. His father was from Cape Verde and his mother was born in New Canaan, Connecticut and is of Irish-African descent. He is known for his distinctive humorous and funky playing style and for his pioneering contributions to hard bop. Silver was influenced by a wide range of musical styles, notably gospel music, … - Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (born April 7 1938 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American jazz trumpeter. In his youth, Hubbard associated with various musicians in Indianapolis, including Wes Montgomery and Montgomery's brothers. Chet Baker was an early influence, although Hubbard soon aligned himself with the approach of Miles Davis and Clifford Brown (and his forebears: Fats Navarro and Dizzy Gillespie). - Lee Morgan
Lee Morgan (10 July, 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 19 February, 1972 in New York City) was an American hard bop trumpeter. - Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus, also known as Charlie Mingus, was an American jazz bassist, composer, bandleader, and occasional pianist. He was also known for his activism against racial injustice. Mingus is highly ranked among the composers and performers of jazz, and he recorded many highly regarded albums. Dozens of musicians passed through his bands and later went on to impressive careers. - Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel Roach (born January 10, 1924) is a bebop/hard bop percussionist, drummer, and composer. He has worked with many of the greatest jazz musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Sonny Rollins. He is widely considered to be one of the most important drummers in the history of jazz. - Donald Byrd
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (born December 9, 1932) is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter, born in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Cass Technical High School. He performed with Lionel Hampton before finishing high school. After playing in a military band during a term in the United States Air Force, he obtained a bachelor's degree in music from Wayne State University and a master's degree from Manhattan School of Music. - Hank Mobley
Henry (Hank) Mobley was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Stan Getz. This description however was translated by jazz connoisseurs as though Mobley were mediocre. And, as his style was laid-back, subtle and melodic, … - Grant Green
Grant Green (June 6, 1935 - January 31, 1979; some sources erroneously give the birth year as 1931) was a jazz guitarist and composer. Recording prolifically and almost exclusively for Blue Note Records (as both leader and sideman) Green performed well in hard bop, soul jazz, bebop and latin-tinged settings throughout his career. Critics Michael Erlewine and Ron Wynn write, "A severely underrated player during his lifetime, … - Cedar Walton
Cedar Anthony Walton, Junior (b. January 17, 1934) is an American hard bop jazz pianist. - Johnny Griffin
John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928) is an American bop and hard bop tenor saxophonist. Like many other successful musicians from Chicago, he studied music at DuSable High School under Walter Dyett, starting out on clarinet before moving on to oboe, alto sax and finally, shortly after joining Lionel Hampton's Orchestra, tenor sax. While still at high school, at 15 Griffin was playing alongside T-Bone Walker in a band led by Walker's brother. - Benny Golson
Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and Red Rodney. After graduating from Howard University Golson joined Bull Moose Jackson's rhythm and blues band; Tadd Dameron, … - Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt (February 2 1924 - July 22 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist. He was a quintessential saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom and was also one of the most prolific saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 records in his lifetime. He was nicknamed the "Lone Wolf" by jazz critic Dan Morgenstern in tribute to his relentless touring and his devotion to jazz. - Billy Higgins
Billy Higgins (October 11, 1936-May 3, 2001) was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop. He played on Ornette Coleman's first records, beginning in 1958. He then freelanced extensively with hard bop and other post-bop players, including Donald Byrd, Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, Milt Jackson, Jackie McLean, Pat Metheny, Hank Mobley, Thelonious Monk, Lee Morgan, David Murray, Art Pepper, Sonny Rollins, Mal Waldron, and Cedar Walton. - Milt Jackson
Milton (Milt) Jackson (January 1, 1923 in Detroit, Michigan - October 9, 1999) was an American jazz vibraphonist and one of the most important figures in the hard bop style. A very expressive player, Jackson differentiated himself from other vibraphonists in his attention to variations on harmonics and rhythm. He was particularly fond of the 12-bar blues at slow tempos. - Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson (born November 1,1926) is a jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Badin, North Carolina. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop era, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker's improvisational approach. His first recordings were with bop emissaries Milt Jackson and Thelonious Monk in 1952, … - Phil Woods
Philip Wells Woods (born November 2 1931) is an American jazz bebop alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader and composer. He also performed in other jazz mediums, such a Progressive jazz, post bop and hard bop. Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and studied music with Lennie Tristano, who influenced him greatly, at the Manhattan School of Music and at The Juilliard School. - Bobby Hutcherson
Bobby Hutcherson (born January 27, 1941 in Los Angeles) is a jazz vibraphone and marimba player. His vibraphone playing is suggestive of the style of Milt Jackson in its free-flowing melodicism but his sense of harmony and group interaction is thoroughly modern. Hutcherson has influenced younger vibraphonists like Steve Nelson, Monte Croft, Joe Locke and Stefon Harris. Attracted foremost to more experimental free jazz and post-bop, … - Curtis Fuller
Curtis DuBois Fuller (born in Detroit, December 15, 1934) is a United States hard bop trombonist. Fuller's parents were Jamaican and died when he was young, so as a result he was raised in an orphanage. While in Detroit he was a schoolfriend of Paul Chambers and Donald Byrd, and also knew Tommy Flanagan, Thad Jones and Milt Jackson. After army service between 1953 and 1955 (when he played in a band with Chambers and brothers Cannonball and Nat Adderley), … - Art Taylor
Arthur S. Taylor, Jr. (6 april 1929-6 february1995) was an American jazz drummer of the hard bop school. After playing in the bands of Howard McGhee, Coleman Hawkins, Buddy DeFranco, Bud Powell, and George Wallington from 1948 to 1957, he formed his own group, the Wailers. Between 1957 and 1963 he toured with Donald Byrd, recorded with Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and performed with Thelonious Monk; he also was a member of the original Kenny Dorham Quartet of 1957. - Jimmy Cobb
Jimmy Cobb (born January 20 1929 in Washington D.C.) is an American hard bop drummer. He has worked extensively with a wide range of artists, including Geri Allen, Dinah Washington, Pearl Bailey, Clark Terry, Cannonball Adderly, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Wynton Kelly, Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery, Gil Evans, Miles Davis, Paul Chambers, Kenny Burrell, J.J. Johnson, Sonny Stitt, Nat Adderley, Hank Jones, Ron Carter, George Coleman, … - Sonny Clark
Conrad Yeatis (Sonny) Clark (July 21, 1931 in Herminie, Pennsylvania - January 13, 1963 in New York City) was an American hard bop pianist. An underappreciated jazz artist during his time, Sonny Clark's works have become much more famous after his death. Strongly influenced by Bud Powell, Sonny Clark is known for his unique touch, sense of melody and complex, hard-swinging style. - George Coleman
George Coleman (born March 8, 1935 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American hard bop saxophonist, known chiefly for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s. Coleman taught himself to play the alto saxophone in his teens, inspired (like many jazz musicians of his generation) by Charlie Parker. Among his schoolmates were Harold Mabern, Booker Little, Frank Strozier, Hank Crawford and Charles Lloyd. - Pepper Adams
Pepper Adams (born Park Adams III on October 8, 1930 in Highland Park, Michigan - died on September 10, 1986 in Brooklyn, New York) was one of hard bop's most significant baritone saxophonists. His dark, hearty tone on the horn and driving rhythmic sense provided the antithesis to the lighter, floating (and consequently more popular) styles of Gerry Mulligan. His family moved to Rochester, New York when he was young and in that city he began his musical efforts. - Nat Adderley
Nathaniel Adderley (born November 25, 1931 in Tampa, Florida-died January 2, 2000) was an American jazz cornetist who played in the hard bop and soul jazz genres. He was the brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. In the 1950s he worked with his brother's original group, with Lionel Hampton, and with J. J. Johnson, then in 1959 joined his brother's new quintet and stayed with it until Cannonball's death in 1975. - Mal Waldron
Malcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer. Born in New York City, his jazz work was chiefly in the hard bop, post-bop and free jazz genres. He is known for his distinctive chord voicings and adaptable style, which was originally inspired by the playing of Thelonious Monk. After obtaining a B.A. in music from Queen's College, New York, he worked in New York City in the early 1950s with Ike Quebec, "Big" Nick Nicholas, … - Jack McDuff
"Brother" Jack McDuff (September 17, 1926--January 23, 2001) was a jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz era of the 1960s. - Wallace Roney
Wallace Roney (born May 25, 1960) is an American hard bop and post-bop trumpeter. He was born in Philadelphia and attended Howard University and Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts after graduating from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts of the D. C. Public Schools, where he studied trumpet with Langston Fitzgerald of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Diagnosed with having perfect pitch abilities at 4 years old, … - Harold Land
Harold de Vance Land (1928-2001) was an American hard bop and post-bop tenor saxophonist. He was self-taught, and made his first recording, as the leader of the Harold Land All-Stars, for Savoy Records in 1949. In 1954 he joined the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet. Because of family problems he moved to Los Angeles in 1955. There he played with Curtis Counce, led his own groups, and co-led groups with Bobby Hutcherson, Blue Mitchell, and Red Mitchell. - Pat Martino
Pat Martino (born Pat Azzara, August 25, 1944, in South Philadelphia) is an Italian-American jazz guitarist and composer within the post bop, soul jazz, mainstream jazz and hard bop idioms. - Reggie Workman
Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist. He was a member of jazz groups led by Gigi Gryce, Roy Haynes and Red Garland. In 1961, Workman joined the John Coltrane Quartet, replacing Steve Davis. He was present for the saxophonist's legendary "Live at the Village Vanguard" sessions, and also appeared with a second bassist (Art Davis) on the 1961 album, "Ole Coltrane". - Jimmy McGriff
James Harrell McGriff (born April 3, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who developed a distinctive style of playing the Hammond B-3 organ. - Duke Pearson
Duke Pearson (August 17, 1932 - August 4, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer. All Music Guide notes him as being a "big part in shaping the Blue Note label's hard bop direction in the 1960s as a producer." - Eric Alexander
Eric Alexander (born 1968) is an American jazz saxophonist, known for his sophisticated hard bop and post-bop style. Alexander began as a classical musician, studying alto saxophone at Indiana University in 1986. He soon switched to jazz and the tenor saxophone, however, and transferred to William Paterson University. Alexander first achieved fame by finishing second behind Joshua Redman at the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. - Gary Bartz
Gary Bartz (born 26 September 1940, Baltimore, Maryland) is an American alto and soprano saxophonist and clarinetist. Bartz graduated from the Baltimore City College high school and The Juilliard School. He has worked with Charles Mingus, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Max Roach, and Jackie McLean, as well as performing and recording with his own groups, among them the Ntu Troop, which combined soul, funk, African folk music, hard bop, … - Charlie Rouse
Charlie Rouse (April 6, 1924 - November 30, 1988) was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist. He is best known for his time with Thelonious Monk's quartet, a period which lasted from 1959 to 1970. He was later a founding member of the group "Sphere", which began as a tribute to Monk. - Doug Watkins
Douglas Watkins (2 March 1934 - 5 February 1962) was an American hard bop jazz double bassist from Detroit. An original member of the Jazz Messengers, he later played in Horace Silver's and freelanced with Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins, and Phil Woods among countless others in jazz. He was a cousin by marriage to bassist Paul Chambers, who was similarly prolific on record during this era. - Booker Ervin
Booker Telleferro Ervin II (1930 - 1970) was an American hard bop tenor saxophone player perhaps best known for his association with Charles Mingus, with whom he played and recorded from 1956 to 1962. During the 1960s he also led his own quartet and played with Randy Weston. His most highly regarded records are the nine he made for Prestige Records between 1963 and 1966: "Exultation", "The Freedom Book", "The Song Book", "The Blues Book", … - Benny Green
Benny Green (born April 4, 1963 in New York City) is a hard bop jazz pianist who "graduated" from Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He has been compared to Bud Powell in style and counts him as an influence. As a boy he grew up in Berkeley, California and studied classical piano from the age of seven. That stated he had an interest in jazz from an early point as his father was a jazz tenor saxophone player. - Houston Person
Houston Person (born November 10th, 1934) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. Person is also known for his distinctive sassy sound and his expressive style of playing. He received the Eubie Blake Jazz Award in 1982. Contrary to popular belief, he was never married to the late singer Etta Jones, …
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