Thanks to Rifftides reader Dave Lull for alerting us to a jazz blog that debuted in early July. Although its name, Tony Flood’s House Of Hard Bop, could hardly be more specific, in his first post Mr. Flood opened with a demurer:
Hard Bop: the Dominant, Not Sole, Focus Here.
I care a great deal about what came before it, and what came out of it, most of all the remarkable musicians who faced challenges (pardon the euphemism) posed by the British invasion of 1964. “Hard bop” is an abstraction, but if I manage to lead my visitor away from words about it and to the music itself, which my words might as easily dilute as illuminate, he or she will be able to put meat on the literary bones I offer.
That’s a good beginning. One of Mr. Flood’s early posts is a personalized piece about the little-known pianist Sadik Hakim, whom he knew. To read it, go here and scroll down to July 15.
When you come back (please do), you may care to go to this Rifftides archive piece, then this one, for additional reflections on hard bop.
Mr. Flood—welcome to the neighborhood.
Thank you for the heads-up on Tony’s page. As far as musical tastes go, I have a lot in common with Mr. Flood.
If I could, I would rewrite some parts of jazz history 🙂 — For me, there is neither such a thing as “Cool Jazz”, nor does the expression “Hard Bop” fit to the music which commonly trades under this mislabel.
They should rename the first one “Quiet Jazz”; and I call “Driving Jazz” the latter. — “Cool” and “hard” are definitions that try to sell it rather than describe the music properly.
But that’s my private, admittedly unhumble, opinion, and I doubt it will ever reach the jazz critics.
— Or would you alter some of your articles and books, Doug?
Provocative P.S.: Some of the “hard boppers” (Oscar Peterson included) trade under the expression “Olympic Jazz”, but only in my world of jazz words.