The Improvising World of Jazz

Arts and Music · 10 questions

Ten questions on jazz terminology, improvisation, artists, and documented recordings.

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1. What is the chordal, rhythmic accompaniment a jazz pianist or guitarist provides for a soloist called?

   1. Walking bass
   2. Head
   3. Trading fours
   4. Comping
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   D) Comping

2. What is the main melody or theme of a jazz tune, often played by the ensemble, called?

   1. Solo
   2. Outro
   3. Head
   4. Bridge
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   C) Head

3. What is the bass technique of playing steady quarter notes to support harmony and rhythmic motion called?

   1. Walking bass
   2. Shout chorus
   3. Stop-time
   4. Comping
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   A) Walking bass

4. What is it called when musicians take turns improvising in four-bar sections?

   1. Trading eights
   2. Trading fours
   3. Stop-time
   4. Call and response
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   B) Trading fours

5. Which jazz style, developed in the 1940s, is known for fast tempos and complex harmony?

   1. Free jazz
   2. Bebop
   3. Cool jazz
   4. Modal jazz
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   B) Bebop

6. Which 1959 Miles Davis album helped popularize modal jazz?

   1. Sketches of Spain
   2. Bitches Brew
   3. Kind of Blue
   4. Birth of the Cool
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   C) Kind of Blue

7. Which John Coltrane composition, known for rapid, complex chord cycles, was recorded in 1959?

   1. Moment's Notice
   2. Cousin Mary
   3. Giant Steps
   4. Naima
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   C) Giant Steps

8. Which Dave Brubeck Quartet piece is known for its 5/4 meter?

   1. Take Five
   2. The Duke
   3. Unsquare Dance
   4. Blue Rondo à la Turk
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   A) Take Five

9. Which spiritually themed John Coltrane album was released in 1965?

   1. Ascension
   2. A Love Supreme
   3. Blue Train
   4. Coltrane Jazz
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   B) A Love Supreme

10. Which instrument did Art Blakey play as a leader of the Jazz Messengers?

    1. Piano
    2. Saxophone
    3. Trumpet
    4. Drums
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    D) Drums