In the early '50s, bebop had already reached its peak, and musicians were searching for refinements. While some chose to retro-activate swing in the form of cool jazz, others took heed of rhythm and blues, stripping bebop down to a bluesier formula, while continuing to develop their considerable soloing chops. The results were arguably the golden age of jazz, with labels like Prestige and Blue Note delivering hundreds of classic hard bop albums. Hard bop also spawned post bop and soul-jazz, all of which have remained popular with rising jazz musicians.

Notable Artists: Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, Jackie McLean