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March 24 Jazz 101Jazz Quiz 101
by MeganAemmer
It may not bethe highest-selling music genre, and your'e not likely to catch a jazz vocalist on MTV, but jazz does have some of the most loyal listeners out there. Those who get into jazz are often fans for life. (Can you say the same about those '80s hair-metal bands you used to rock out to?) Maybe you can hum a few bars, but how much do you know about this truly American art form?
1) Which city is considered the birthplace of jazz?
a) Chicago
b) New York
c) Los Angeles
d) New Orleans
2) Jazz trendsetter Miles Davis played which instrument?
a) Drumms
b) Trombone
c) Trumpet
d)Saxaphone
3) What percentage of music sales are jazz recordings?
a) About 3 percent
b) About 8 percent
c) About 14 percent
d) About 20 percent
4) What jazz vocalist was also known as Dragon Lady?
a) Ella Fitzgerald
b) Sarah Vaughan
c) Nina Simone
d) Billie Holiday
5) How many pieces did pianist and bandleader Duke Ellington compose?
a) about 100
b) about 500
c) about 1,000
d) about2,000
6) Who was the first Jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music?
a) Wynton Marsalis
b) Branford Marsalis
c) John Coltrane
d) Kenny G.
7) What was West Coast jazz also known as?
a) Third-stream
b) Cool jazz
c) Boogie-woogie
d) Swing
8) Which jazz guitarist leads the band on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno?
a) Pat Methany
b) Django Reinhardt
c) Freddie Green
d) Kevin Eubanks
9) Your freinds love to listen to th epiano stylings of Bud Powell, Charlie Parker's saxaphone sound, and Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet. Which style is probably her favorite?
a) Free jazz
b) Bepop (bop)
c) Swing
d) Cool jazz
10) In the signature Duke ellingotn Orchestra song "Take the 'A' Train," where does the A train go?
a) The French Quarter, New Orleans
b) Hollywood, California
c) Harlem, New York
d) Kansas City, Missouri
1) d
New Orleans is considered the birthplace of jazz. African rhythms and vocal styles melded with European classical and popular music in the 18th- and 19th-century American South, and gradually evolved into jazz. The first jazz bands were small ensembles that played at picnics, parades, funerals, and weddings. But it wasn't until after the turn of the 20th century that jazz styles were documented, and the first jazz recording--by The Original Dixieland Jazz Band--wasn't made until 1917. From there, jazz evolved and spread up the Mississippi River as musicians migrated to Memphis, Kansas City, Chicago, and eventually east to New York City.
2) c
Miles Davis is one of the best-known names in jazz. An innovative trumpeter and band leader, Davis was instrumental in the development of many jazz styles, such as jazz-rock fusion, before they became trends. In 1959 Davis assembled the all-star band of Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone), John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Bill Evans (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Jimmy Cobb (drums) and recorded Kind of Blue, one of the most popular and historically important albums in modern jazz.
3) a
Jazz recordings consistently make up about 3 percent of all music sales. But although jazz sales numbers are small, jazz fans tend to be a dedicated bunch. Jazz is also becoming more fashionable with casual listeners, as well as showing up in television commercials and concerts at prestigious venues such as New York's Lincoln Center.
4) d
Jazz vocalist Billie Holiday was also known as Lady Day, a nickname given to her by saxophonist Lester Young when they worked together in the late 1930s. At a time when vocalists seemed to be interchangeably similar, Holiday distinguished herself by personalizing her songs. She got creative with the phrasing, beat, and melodies, making her one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time. Her chaotic, rough early life and the volatile relationships and substance-abuse problems of her adult life no doubt had a profound effect on her sensitive and spirited vocal performances. Unfortunately, the troubled life that plagued Holiday eventually caught up to her. She died in Metropolitan Hospital, New York City, in 1959, while under arrest for possession of illegal drugs.
5) d
Pianist, composer, and bandleader Duke Ellington composed about 2,000 works, including musical comedies, music for ballet and motion pictures, an opera, and numerous short songs and instrumentals. For his own orchestra, Ellington designed compositions around the unique musical styles of the band members. The prolific and hard-working bandleader also toured constantly, leading his orchestra on tour from the 1930s through the remainder of his career, playing an estimated 20,000 performances in the United States and around the world.
6) a
In 1984 trumpeter Wynton Marsalis became the first musician to win Grammy Awards in both the jazz and classical categories, and in 1997 he became the first jazz artist to win the Pulitzer Prize* for music. Marsalis helped rejuvenate acoustic, non-fusion jazz in the 1980s, bringing the genre back to its roots after the smooth jazz and jazz-rock fusion movements of the 1970s. An active promoter and advocate of jazz, Marsalis became artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and contributed to the Ken Burns Jazz documentary (2000).
7) b
West Coast jazz was also known as cool jazz because it was softer, more detached, and much less driving than the hard bop that was flourishing on the East Coast in the 1950s. The style was essentially born of three recording sessions that became the 1949 release Birth of the Cool by Miles Davis and bandleader Gil Evans, regarded as one of the most pivotal moments in jazz. Other players and composers, such as saxophonists Stan Getz* and Gerry Mulligan* and pianist Dave Brubeck, thrived in the cool jazz style of the 1950s.
8) d
Jazz guitarist Kevin Eubanks serves as the bandleader and musical director on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. After three years with the band, he took the directorial reins from saxophonist Branford Marsalis in 1995. Eubanks, who actually began his career playing the violin at the age of seven, has toured and recorded with many top jazz players, including Branford Marsalis. He has also released 12 albums during his career and scored productions for HBO and PBS.
9) b
Bud Powell (piano), Charlie Parker (saxophone), and Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet) were a few of the musicians who were most instrumental in forming the style known as bebop, or simply bop. Bop differed from swing in many aspects of both performance and style, such as using small combos instead of big bands, a faster tempo, and more complex improvisation, harmonies, and melodies.
10) c
In the signature Duke Ellington Orchestra song “Take the 'A' Train,” the A train is the quickest way to Harlem,* where the prominent Cotton Club nightclub was located. In 1939 Duke Ellington hired a young American arranger and composer, Billy Strayhorn, who became his musical collaborator and wrote the signature tune in 1941. At the time the song was composed, the A train ran from eastern Brooklyn into Harlem and northern Manhattan. These days, you can ride the A train all the way from Queens through Brooklyn and Manhattan, clear up to 207th Street. March 17 Marymoore ParkThe kids love going to the park to play. Even Nick at eleven enjoys the innicence of playing on the playground. I took some posed photos of the kids. I think they are very photogenic and not just because I am their mom. Grubbin'The kids and I love baking together. my mom use to bake with me every Saturday and now the kids and I bake together, though not as often. The kids are licking the beaters from the cupcakes (I know, raw eggs, yuck, but it is one of thise childhood memories every kid should have!) Later that weekend we went to Azteca with kids. Look at the carnage. Christmas Day 05This Christmas was a good one for the kids (of course what Christmas isn't?) Nick got Guitar Hero II and a cell phone and Amber got a bigger kitchen and a vanity. Christmas 06I got a new camera early December and in true digital form, I let them sit until now. Every Christmas the kids adn I make a gingerbread house. Here is our Christmas tree and gingerbread house. |
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