What's so hard about 'hard bop'?

[Jabberwocky]

I thought it was Hard Bop because it was "whoosh, over my head" hard...

[MarkRhodes]

I have read that many of the musicians involved were frustrated that white musicians were coopting a black type of music, with the West Coast cool jazz musicians getting all the attention--Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond, etc.

They wanted a style they could play which "wouldn't sound like white music", if you know what I mean--with a heavy soul and gospel influence.

There does seem to be a "return to the roots" aspect of hard bop. Curiously, Miles Davis avoided this. (He made recordings that are seen as classics of "cool jazz" AND "hard bop".)

One contrast I've heard made of East Coast / West Coast jazz is that the former is busier, more bustling, like life in the big city, while the latter is more open, spacious. In short, one is New York City and the other is California.

It is worth noting that not everyone lives on 52nd Street (or wants to).

Wes becomes interesting here, I think.