Sometimes called souljazz or funky jazz, (famous label of the time as well as a reference to the sound) a strong connection to the blues can be heard in its mostly minor key and mode compositions.
The hard bop era of jazz was a partial return to the fast tempos and angular nature of bebop, fused with a heavy gospel influence and incorporation of African and Latin rhythms. Sometimes called souljazz or funky jazz, (famous label of the time as well as a reference to the sound) a strong connection to the blues can be heard in its mostly minor key and mode compositions. A lot of the sounds and concepts that were developed in this time can still be heard in today's jazz. Another form of jazz known as modal jazz also emerged at this time. The Seminole Miles Davis album Kind of Blue is a great example of this sound. Another iconic figure of this time is John Coltrane. He came up through Miles Davis's band and began to make a name for himself as a composer as well. Having previously played through the hard bop and cool Jazz era, Trane was both a sensitive, lyrical player as well as one of the most fiercely angular and complex players. His classic album A love supreme has heavy spiritual themes fused with soulful writing and both dynamic and virtuosic playing, fusing elements of bebop, modal jazz and souljazz. The modal style is characterized by less complex chord changes (sometimes only one chord or longer duration spent on each chord), giving the soloist more time to explore different scales and modes creating different textures and sounds. Modal Jazz and elements of this style are still very much present in today's jazz music.