Hard Bop Cool Pose: Bebop, the Blues, and Image in the Music of Lee Morgan

In the 1950s and 60s, bebop and hard bop musicians adopted a cool, hip image that presented an outward facade of invulnerability to the world. This "cool pose" had a significant impact on jazz, and can be seen in the dress, speech, and performance practices of musicians of the time. This chapter examines how bebop and the blues can be heard in relation to cool pose, specifically in the music of Lee Morgan. It concludes by questioning how the image of the invulnerable jazz musician functions in jazz today, and how interrogating this image might aid in building more inclusive spaces in jazz. This session is based on work recently published in the Routledge Companion to Jazz and Gender.