In the mid-'60s, as hard bop and soul jazz pushed along, composers like Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane added to and developed the core harmonies and songwriting principles of jazz music. Miles Davis's Quintet at the time featured Shorter and other rising stars like Herbie Hancock, who improvised at the fringes of jazz, utilizing elements of bop to prevent them from falling out into the ether like many of their avant-garde jazz peers.

Notable Artists: Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, John Coltrane