What a Wonderful World
This American city is often described as the "Birthplace of Jazz", due to heavy influences from African, European, and Caribbean culture.
What is New Orleans, Louisiana?
Often seen as one of the pioneers of bebop, this legendary saxophonist also goes by the name "Bird".
Who is Charlie Parker?
This "large" genre of jazz consists of an ensemble of musicians in four sections: trumpets, trombones, saxophones and a rhythm section, dominating in the early 1940s.
What is Big Band?
Arguably one of the most famous standards of all time, this song was written by Joseph Kozma in 1945, with it's original name in French being Les Feuilles Mortes.
What is Autumn Leaves?
This rhythm is commonly associated with jazz music, featuring a certain "groove" that involves notes that are not evenly subdivided.
What is swing?
Bossa nova, a more relaxed style of traditional samba music involving relaxed, syncopated rhythms, was developed in this country in the late 1950s. Some notable musicians from here include João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim, known for classics such as The Girl from Ipanema.
What is Brazil?
Who is Duke Ellington?
This famous genre of jazz takes its name from the nonsense syllables used in scat singing, and involves the use of a fast tempo, complex chord progressions, and rapid changes. Notable performers include Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis.
What is Bebop?
This standard, written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, helped popularize Brazilian music (specifically bossa nova) in the 1960s. This song is featured on the same record as another classic, Corcovado.
What is The Girl From Ipanema?
This common chord progression, containing three chords, is usually seen in many jazz songs due to its satisfying harmonic closure. It can also be used to easily transition into a new key.
What is a 2-5-1 (ii-V-I)?
This Caribbean port city is often said to be where Latin jazz took its earliest roots, with its use of clave-based rhythms spawning genres such as son and rumba. The famous composer Mario Bauza is originally from here.
What is Havana, Cuba?
This trumpet player and composer can be recognized by many things, but most notably his bent trumpet and puffed cheeks, the latter of which is a result of muscular stretching often called "Glassblower's Disease".
Who is Dizzy Gillespie?
This genre of jazz draws heavily on influences from samba and merengue styles, and places a heavy emphasis on percussion instruments such as congas, guiros, claves, and others.
What is Latin Jazz?
Popularized by John Coltrane, this standard puts a twist on its parent song, originally written in 1959 as part of the Broadway musical The Sound of Music.
What is My Favourite Things?
A "12-bar blues" is commonly associated with these three chords in a scale.
What is the I, IV and V (or I7, IV7, and V7)?
This city, misleadingly in the state of Missouri, is eponymous with a genre of jazz known for a hard-swinging, bluesy style, often described as a "stomp". Notable performers include Count Basie and Jo Jones.
What is Kansas City, Missouri?
This jazz pianist, known for standards such as 'Round Midnight, was also known for his impressionable stage presence, most notably standing up and dancing mid-performance before resuming his playing.
Who is Thelonious Monk?
This genre of jazz famously combines elements of jazz, funk, and rock, featuring an emphasis on amplified electric instruments such as keyboards and organs. Notable acts include Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea among many.
What is Jazz Fusion?
Known for being one of the signature songs of the legendary Chet Baker, this standard also inspired the name of the main antagonist from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run.
What is My Funny Valentine?
These chord tones are usually referred to as the "guide tones" for a chord, establishing whether it is major or minor, and dominant or not.
What are the III and VII?
This legendary "avian" NYC jazz club opened in its first incarnation in December 1949 on Broadway near 52nd Street, attracting musicians such as Art Blakey, John Coltrane and Count Basie among others. Its name was paid tribute in a song written by Joe Zawinul of the band Weather Report.
What is Birdland?
This American swing vocalist is widely praised for her improvisational skills, often nicknamed "Lady Day". She is known for her performances on songs such as What a Little Moonlight Can Do and Strange Fruit.
Who is Billie Holiday?
This genre of jazz was once named for a famed New Orleans jazz band in the early 20th century, but soon expanded to refer to jazz with a heavy New Orleans/Ragtime/Sicilian influence. This genre is also often associated with originally being predominantly "white" jazz, initially harbouring mixed feelings.
What is Dixieland?
You may recognize Jesus Molina's daunting 11/8 cover version of this jazz standard, originally composed by Dizzy Gillespie in 1942. The original standard contains a very distinctive Afro-Cuban influence, especially in its bass playing.
What is A Night in Tunisia?
This technique involves substituting the V7 chord in a progression with a bII7, commonly used as a turnaround in jazz music.