daveandersonjazz

Jazz Quiz

I've been participating in a Jazz Quiz mailing list, and have drafted some quizzes for the group.

Want to test your knowledge as a jazz fan? Take these (challenging) quizzes and see how you measure up!

International Jazz Quiz

1. This London-based multi-instrumentalist is considered one of the leading avant-garde players of his generation (2p):

a.) Evan Parker
b.) Leon Parker
c.) Leon Fleisher
d.) Charles Gayle

2. Which one of the following jazz players was not born in Europe or the United Kingdom (2p)?

a.) Dave Holland
b.) Jan Garbarek
c.) Joe Zawinul
d.) Kenny Wheeler

3. Three of the following famous jazz musicians are actually Canadian. Which one is not (2p) and where is that musician from (2p)?

a.) Diana Krall
b.) Oscar Peterson
c.) Maynard Ferguson
d.) Paquito D'Rivera

4. The saxophonist Stan Getz made some of his best recordings late in his life at this jazz club (2p):

a.) Ronnie Scott's in London
b.) Café Montmartre in Copenhagen
c.) The Oslo Jazzhus
d.) Sägewerk in Bad Hofgastein

5. Please give the country of origin for the following jazz saxophone ensembles (1p each):

a. World Saxophone Quartet
b. Position Alpha
c. Rova

6. Which of the following musicians is the Brazilian who brought the most bossa nova compositions to the jazz world (2p)?

a.) Gato Barberi
b.) Antonio Carlos Jobim
c.) Charlie Byrd
d.) Gilberto Gil

7. Keith Jarrett made his most famous solo piano recording in (2p):

a.) Berlin
b.) Köln
c.) Budapest
d.) Helsinki

8. These two Danish brothers play bass and piano, and have made their mark on the international jazz scene. They both play on an excellent album by the older brother called "Dreams." Can you name them? (2p for last name, 1p for each first name and an additional 1p for getting both middle names right!)

9. Lennon & McCartney pop songs were turned into jazz tunes in the 60s and 70s. Today the same is happening with the music of this Icelandic pop singer today which has been recorded by several current jazz musicians. What is her name (2p)?

10. There is a talented but little-known jazz group of young conservatory-trained musicians called Beefolk. They are from which country (1p):

a.) Sweden
b.) Austria
c.) Czech Republic
d.) Romania

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Jazz Legends Quiz

1. Please match the following outrageous story with the jazz musician responsible for it (1p each):

i. At the end of a concert film, this bandleader is heard to say goodbye to departing member Eric Dolphy, who had just played his last gig, by saying "Good luck… asshole."
ii. Trumpeter Clark Terry says this musician stole his instrument because of drugs.
iii. On at least one occasion this musician was released from prison (after incarceration for many months) and brought directly to the recording studio to make a recording for cash.
iv. Threw his instrument through a recording studio window while having an emotional breakdown.

a. Art Pepper
b. Charles Mingus
c. Miles Davis
d. Charlie Parker

2. In which famous American jazz club have the most live recordings been made: (2p)

a.) Yoshi's in Oakland, California
b.) Jazz Showcase in Chicago
c.) The Village Vanguard in New York
d.) Preservation Hall in New Orleans

3. This famous song is the harmonic basis for many later jazz compositions which use the same chords: (2p)

a.) I've Got it Bad (and that Ain't Good)
b.) I've Got Rhythm
c.) I've Got the World on a String
d.) Round Midnight

4. Which one of the following jazz players was not in one of the famous fusion "supergroups" in the 1970s: (2p)

a.) Joe Zawinul
b.) Chick Corea
c.) Stanley Turrentine
d.) Wayne Shorter

5. An active male vocalist has been resurrecting the art of "vocalese" - writing words to the recorded improvisations of jazz greats. He is: (2p)

a.) Kurt Elling
b.) Kevin Mahogoney
c.) Meade Lux Lewis
d.) Baxter Lewis

6. Unfortunately, too many brilliant jazz musicians have had their lives end tragically and too early. Please match the following musician with their gruesome story (1p each):

i. When he died at age 34 after abusing his body for years, the coroner estimated his age at 50 to 60 years old.
ii. Was beat up by a bouncer outside a nightclub and died of brain injuries.
iii. Fell on a subway track and had his arm cut off. He survived but died three months later of kidney failure.
iv. Died in his apartment, which was only noticed when his neighbors complained of the smell.

a.) Kenny Kirkland
b.) Jaco Pastorius
c.) Woody Shaw
d.) Charlie Parker

R.I.P...

7. All three members of the Keith Jarrett Trio played with Miles Davis, but which one was only as a sub and wasn't a regular member of the band? (2p)

8. Amazingly, there have been three famous jazzmen who went by the name Bill Evans. Which one is best known by another name? (No, "Bill Evans" doesn't count!) (2p)

9. All of these guys appeared in the jazz movie 'Round Midnight. Which one really "cooks" in the movie (in the kitchen, not on the bandstand)? (2p)

a.) Herbie Hancock
b.) Dexter Gordon
c.) Wayne Shorter
d.) Bobby Hutcherson

10. In 2005, two "lost" live concert recordings were released for the first time, to the surprise and delight of jazz fans. Can you name one of these recordings? (2p)

Bonus question: I'm thinking of 5 familiar "desert island" albums not including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, or Joe Henderson. Name one (one guess only). (2p)

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