Notable Figures
This saxophonist got his nickname while touring with a Kansas-city based territory band. The artist's car ran over a chicken - yelled at the driver to stop and, to everyone’s amusement, ran over to the dying bird and carried it back to the car. The musician then proudly presented the killed chicken as the main ingredient for his meal.
Who is Charlie Parker?
This trumpeter was the "intellectual force" behind Bebop.
Who is Dizzy Gillespie?
Washington DC was this artist's hometown before relocating to New York.
Who is Duke Ellington?
The rhythmically unpredictable skein of accompanying chords that complemented the drummer’s strokes and added yet another layer to the rhythmic mix.
What is "comping"?
Who is Coleman Hawkins?
The chromatic interval known in the Middle Ages as the “devil in music”
What is the "tri-tone"?
This artist occasionally played with the territory band called the Blue Devils for several years. However, as a commonwealth band, they found it difficult to operate in an increasingly centralized music business.
Who is Count Basie?
The act of the drummer unexpectedly hitting the bass drum.
What is "dropping bombs"?
Who is Dave Brubeck?
This Harlem venues housed jam sessions where musicians would "cut" one another by playing standards at either fast tempos or in strange keys
What is "Minton's Playhouse"?
This pianist was extremely proficient in the Boogie Woogie style
Who is Count Basie?
This genre, like ragtime, it has a strong left-hand rhythmic foundation, but unlike ragtime, it was made up of percussive ostinatos (or “chains”) in 4/4 time.
What is Boogie Woogie?
This actress inaccurately depicts Billie Holiday's life in a biopic. It was her break out role
Who is Diana Ross?
A string of eighth notes played in a solo.
What is a snake line?
This vocalist, having roots in the church, can be heard in Duke Ellington's masterwork Black, Brown and Beige
Who is Mahalia Jackson?
This harmonic progression variation uses substitute chords over common jazz chord progressions. It is famously used in the standard "Giant Steps."
What is the Coltrane Matrix?
This drummer is responsible for shifting the pulse of the ride cymbal instead of keeping it with the bass drum.
Who is Kenny Clarke?
Musicians were intrigued by this song's 64-bar form - double AABA standard. When Count Basie recorded this tune, the B section only showed up on the head, and instrumentalists on improvised on the A sections. It soon transformed into Charlie Parker's tune "Koko"
What is "Cherokee"?
This extended jazz work was written by Duke Ellington for his first concert at Carnegie Hall, on January 23, 1943. It tells the history of African Americans and was the composer's attempt to transform attitudes about race, elevate American music, specifically jazz, to be seen as on par with classical European music, and challenge America to live up to its founding principles of freedom and equality for all.
What is "Black, Brown, and Beige"?
These dance groups crisscrossed specific regions of the United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. Beginning in the 1920s, the ensembles typically had 8 to 12 musicians. Famous artists such as Mary Lou Williams and Count Basies were members, respectively.
What is a "territory band?"