A reaction to the
cool school of
jazz;
bebop with a "back to the roots" ethos. It was bluesier and harder than the Brubeck/Getz stuff of Cool.
Miles Davis' mid-50's quintet set the standard, but great music was abundant:
Horace Silver,
Clifford Brown and
Max Roach,
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers,
blowing sessions on labels like
Blue Note and Prestige. Some
gospel-tinged tunes were hits, paving the way for the
soul jazz of the 60's.