Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid- 1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano playing.
Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid- 1950s to describe a number of styles deriving from bebop. Hard bop incorporates influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano playing.