Welcome, and thanks for joining us tonight for our exploration of hard bop! If pressed, a large percentage of instrumental jazz musicians and listeners alike would say that this is their favorite sub-genre of jazz. Spear-headed by musicians such as Horace Silver and Art Blakey, the hard bop style kept the harmonic and melodic richness of the preceding bebop era but also brought back and/or introduced elements of blues, R&B, gospel, and funk to the mixture. The result was a more accessible, but never watered down, style, which appealed greatly to the entire jazz community. A little bonus feature for tonight is that every member of the CJO will get to be featured soloists, so keep an eye out for your favorites!
Robert Lewis
Music Director, Charleston Jazz Orchestra
