I believe the correct answer is Horace Silver.
Horace Silver was a prominent hard bop pianist, known
for his brand of “funky jazz”. He was a cofounder of Jazz Messengers alongside
the drummer Art Blakey. Horace Silver had a unique style of playing; he had the
stronger connection to the blues than did most other jazz pianists at that
time, which is why his brand got named “funky jazz”.
