Birthed from hard bop, soul jazz takes elements of bebop improvisation and adds a funky, soulful rhythmic backing. The genre is dominated by guitarists and organ players such as Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff, who play both the chords and the bass lines at the same time with the help of foot pedals. Soul jazz has been revived in the past few decades, thanks to extensive sampling among hip-hop artists.

Notable Artists: Charles Earland, Jimmy Smith, Grant Green