monday jazz quiz

Jazz History Quiz #55

Described by one reviewer as “one of the pioneers of this raucous, rapid-fire, eight-to-the-bar piano style,” this pianist was active in Chicago from 1915 but remained unrecorded until 1939. In addition to his work as a pianist, during World War I he played baseball for the Negro Baseball League’s Chicago All-Americans, and was a groundskeeper for the Chicago White Sox throughout his life. Who is he?

Pete Johnson

James P. Johnson

Albert Ammons

Meade Lux Lewis

Luckey Roberts

Cliff Jackson

Jimmy Yancey

Tony Jackson

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October 20th, 2014

Jazz History Quiz #54

Charles Mingus called him “the greatest trumpet player that I’ve heard in this life,” and he became well-known during his nine years playing in Count Basie’s orchestra, taking a “Pop Goes the Weasel” chorus on “April in Paris.” Who is he?

Roy Eldridge

Charlie Shavers

Ray Nance

Cat Anderson

Bill Coleman

Joe Newman

Thad Jones

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October 6th, 2014

Jazz History Quiz #53

This popular music singer once sang backup with her vocal group the Pied Pipers in Tommy Dorsey’s band and occasionally performed under the pseudonym “Darlene Edwards.” By 1955, she had sold more records than any other female artist, and one of her songs was the first record by a woman to reach #1 on the U.K. Singles Chart. Who is she?

Anita O’Day

Jo Stafford

Helen Merrill

Peggy Lee

Chris Connor

Carmen McRae

Lena Horne

Mildred Bailey

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September 29th, 2014

Jazz History Quiz #52

This trumpeter played in the bands of Lionel Hampton and Andy Kirk, and was a prominent figure in the transition from swing to bop, even described as the “missing link” between Roy Eldridge and Fats Navarro. Who is he?

Kenny Dorham

Clark Terry

Bill Coleman

Howard McGhee

Freddie Webster

Jonah Jones

Charlie Shavers

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September 22nd, 2014

Jazz History Quiz #50

Maurice Ravel acknowledged basing his Boléro on an improvisation of this clarinetist, who was also influential in the careers of Benny Goodman and Nat Cole, who made famous this musician’s theme song, “Sweet Lorraine.” Who is he?

Sidney Bechet

Johnny Doods

Jimmy Noone

Wilbur Sweatman

Frankie Teschemacher

Buster Bailey

Ted Lewis

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August 25th, 2014

Jazz History Quiz #49

This posthumously-awarded Grammy winning musician/composer was the pianist and arranger for the vocal group The Hi-Lo’s in the late 1950’s, and after working with Donald Byrd and Dizzy Gillespie became known for his Latin and bossa nova recordings in the 1960’s. He was also frequently cited by Herbie Hancock as a “major influence.” Who is he?

Buddy Bregman

Lalo Schifrin

Clare Fischer

Tito Puente

George Shearing

George Russell

Cal Tjader

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August 11th, 2014

Monday Jazz Quiz #45

This tenor saxophonist played with Hoagy Carmichael’s Teenagers, as well as Buddy Rich, Lennie Tristano (pictured), and Lee Konitz. He collapsed and died on stage at Los Angeles’ Donte’s club in 1987 while playing “Out of Nowhere.” Who is he?

John Gilmore

Chico Freeman

Warne Marsh

Ted Brown

Al Cohn

Bob Cooper

Buddy Tate

Buddy Collette

Go to the next page or the answer!

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July 7th, 2014

Monday Jazz Quiz #44

Virtually all recordings of this influential trumpet player are available, but the only known film footage of him is in a 1955 appearance on the Soupy Sales variety show, which was one year before his death. Who is he?

Booker Little

Clifford Brown

Donald Byrd

Lee Morgan

Freddie Hubbard

Art Farmer

Roy Eldridge

Fats Navarro

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June 30th, 2014

Monday Jazz Quiz #42

In the mid-1950’s, after a failed audition for the Benny Goodman band, this drummer found work in New York, toured with Charles Mingus’s band, and performed on J.J. Johnson’s J Is for Jazz. Who is he?

Jimmy Cobb

Joe Morello

Clifford Jarvis

Philly Joe Jones

Jo Jones

Joe Chambers

Jack De Johnette

Elvin Jones

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June 16th, 2014

Monday Jazz Quiz #40

This bassist played with Charlie Barnet (pictured) in 1942, was on the recording session of Coleman Hawkins’ “The Man I Love,” appeared in a mystery movie called The Crimson Canary, “inadvertently” discovered Cannonball Adderley, and is considered the pioneer of the cello as a solo instrument in jazz. Who is he?

Milt Hinton

Jimmy Blanton

Oscar Pettiford

Charles Mingus

Charlie Haden

Red Callendar

Curly Russell

Walter Page

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June 2nd, 2014

Monday Jazz Quiz #37

In February, 1928, a large ad in Variety heralded this Chicago-based orchestra’s arrival in New York, referring to it as “THE BIG ORCHESTRA WITH THE LITTLE LEADER.” This orchestra featured some of the biggest future talents in popular music. Who was the orchestra’s leader?

Jean Goldkette

Jimmie Lunceford

Luis Russell

Tommy Dorsey

Ben Pollack

Bob Crosby

Charlie Barnet

Paul Whiteman

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May 5th, 2014

Monday Jazz Quiz #34

This artist may be best known as the author of a book whose concept was playing jazz based on scales rather than chord changes — a theory that helped pave the way for the modal revolutions of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Who is he?

Herbie Nichols

Bill Evans

George Russell

Lennie Tristano

Gil Evans

Anthony Braxton

Tadd Dameron

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April 14th, 2014

Monday Jazz Quiz #23

Born Norma Egstrom in 1920, this singer was so scared during her first recording session that her boss, Benny Goodman, was encouraged to fire her. Goodman recognized her talent and kept her. Who is Norma Egstrom?

Anita O day

Billie Holiday

Doris Day

Lena Horne

Peggy Lee

June Christy

Jo Stafford

Mildred Bailey

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January 27th, 2014

In This Issue

"Nina" by Marsha Hammel
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Winter, 2024 Edition...One-third of the Winter, 2024 collection of jazz poetry is made up of poets who have only come to my attention since the publication of the Summer, 2023 collection. What this says about jazz music and jazz poetry – and this community – is that the connection between the two art forms is inspirational and enduring, and that poets are finding a place for their voice within the pages of this website. (Featuring the art of Marsha Hammel)

The Sunday Poem

The cover to Nina Simone's 1967 album "SIlk and Soul"
“Brown Girl” by Jerrice J. Baptiste

Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem

Poetry

Proceeding From Behind: A collection of poems grounded in the rhythmic, relating to the remarkable, by Terrance Underwood...A relaxed, familiar comfort emerges from the poet Terrance Underwood’s language of intellectual acuity, wit, and space – a feeling similar to one gets while listening to Monk, or Jamal, or Miles. I have long wanted to share his gifts as a poet on an expanded platform, and this 33-poem collection – woven among his audio readings, music he considers significant to his story, and brief personal comments – fulfills my desire to do so.

Short Fiction

pickpik.com
Short Fiction Contest-winning story #65 — “Ballad” by Lúcia Leão...The author’s award-winning story is about the power of connections – between father and child, music and art, and the past, present and future.

Click here to read more short fiction published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Publisher’s Notes

photo by Rhonda Dorsett
A very brief three-dot update…Where I’ve been, and an update on what is coming up on Jerry Jazz Musician

Interview

Michael Cuscuna in 1972
From the Interview Archive: Jazz Producer, Discographer, and Entrepreneur Michael Cuscuna...Few music industry executives have had as meaningful an impact on jazz music as Michael Cuscuna, who passed away on April 20 at the age of 75. I had the privilege of interacting with Michael several times over the years, including this wide-ranging 2019 interview I conducted with him. His energy and vision was deeply admired within the jazz world. May his spirit for the music and its culture continue to impact those of us who remain.

Poetry

painting (cropped) by Berthold Faust/CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED/Wikimedia Commons
“Ornithology” – a Ghazal by Joel Glickman

Click here to read more poetry published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Essay

"Lester Leaps In" by Tad Richards
"Jazz and American Poetry," an essay by Tad Richards...In an essay that first appeared in the Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Poetry in 2005, Tad Richards - a prolific visual artist, poet, novelist, and nonfiction writer who has been active for over four decades – writes about the history of the connection of jazz and American poetry.

Interview

photo of Pepper Adams/courtesy of Pepper Adams Estate
Interview with Gary Carner, author of Pepper Adams: Saxophone Trailblazer...The author speaks with Bob Hecht about his book and his decades-long dedication to the genius of Pepper Adams, the stellar baritone saxophonist whose hard-swinging bebop style inspired many of the top-tier modern baritone players.

Click here to read more interviews published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Trading Fours with Douglas Cole

The cover of Wayne Shorter's 2018 Blue Note album "Emanon"
Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 20: “Notes on Genius...This edition of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film is written in response to the music of Wayne Shorter.

Click here to read previous editions of Trading Fours with Douglas Cole

Review

Jason Innocent, on “3”, Abdullah Ibrahim’s latest album... Album reviews are rarely published on Jerry Jazz Musician, but Jason Innocent’s experience with the pianist Abdullah Ibrahim’s new recording captures the essence of this artist’s creative brilliance.

Book Excerpt

Book excerpt from Jazz with a Beat: Small Group Swing 1940 – 1960, by Tad Richards

Click here to read more book excerpts published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Poetry

"Jazz Trio" by Samuel Dixon
A collection of jazz haiku, Vol. 2...The 19 poets included in this collection effectively share their reverence for jazz music and its culture with passion and brevity.

Jazz History Quiz #171

Dick Cavett/via Wikimedia Commons
In addition to being one of the greatest musicians of his generation, this Ohio native was an activist, leading “Jazz and People’s Movement,” a group formed in the late 1960’s who “adopted the tactic of interrupting tapings and broadcasts of television and radio programs (i.e. the shows of Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett [pictured] and Merv Griffin) in protest of the small number of Black musicians employed by networks and recording studios.” Who was he?

Click here to visit the Jazz History Quiz archive

Community

photo via Picryl.com
.“Community Bookshelf, #2"...a twice-yearly space where writers who have been published on Jerry Jazz Musician can share news about their recently authored books. This edition includes information about books published within the last six months or so…

Contributing Writers

Click the image to view the writers, poets and artists whose work has been published on Jerry Jazz Musician, and find links to their work

Coming Soon

An interview with Tad Richards, author of Jazz With a Beat: Small Group Swing, 1940 - 1960;  an interview with Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz, authors of But Will You Love Me Tomorrow? An Oral History of the 60's Girl Groups;  a new collection of jazz poetry; a collection of jazz haiku; a new Jazz History Quiz; short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and lots more in the works...

Interview Archive

Eubie Blake
Click to view the complete 22 year archive of Jerry Jazz Musician interviews, including those recently published with Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom on Eubie Blake (pictured); Richard Brent Turner on jazz and Islam; Alyn Shipton on the art of jazz; Shawn Levy on the original queens of standup comedy; Travis Atria on the expatriate trumpeter Arthur Briggs; Kitt Shapiro on her life with her mother, Eartha Kitt; Will Friedwald on Nat King Cole; Wayne Enstice on the drummer Dottie Dodgion; the drummer Joe La Barbera on Bill Evans; Philip Clark on Dave Brubeck; Nicholas Buccola on James Baldwin and William F. Buckley; Ricky Riccardi on Louis Armstrong; Dan Morgenstern and Christian Sands on Erroll Garner; Maria Golia on Ornette Coleman.

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