Jazz in America • The National Jazz Curriculum The Blues and Jazz Test Bank
Select the BEST answer.
1. Of the following, the style of music to be considered jazz’s most important influence is
A. folk music B. the blues C. country music D. hip-hop E. klezmer music
2. Of the following, the blues most likely originated in
A. Alaska B. Chicago C. the Mississippi Delta D. Europe E. San Francisco
3. The blues is
A. a feeling B. a particular kind of musical scale and/or chord progression C. a poetic form and/or type of song D. a shared history E. all of the above
4. The number of chords in a typical early blues chord progression is
A. three B. four C. five D. eight E. twelve
5. The number of measures in typical blues chorus is
A. three B. four C. five D. eight E. twelve
6. The primary creators of the blues were
A. Africans B. Europeans C. African Americans D. European Americans E. Asians
7. Today the blues is
A. played and listened to primarily by African Americans B. played and listened to primarily by European Americans C. respected more in the United States than in Europe D. not appreciated by people outside the United States E. played and listened to by people all over the world
8. Like jazz, blues is music that is
A. planned B. spontaneous C. partly planned and partly spontaneous D. neither planned nor spontaneous E. completely improvised
9. Blues lyrical content
A. is usually secular (as opposed to religious) B. is usually religious (as opposed to secular) C. is only about sad happenings D. can be about a wide range of happenings, from sad to happy E. A and D
10. The poetic form of most blues lyrics is
A. AABA B. AB C. ABB D. AAB E. ABAC
11. The development of the blues reflects the historical development of
A. African life B. African-American life and minority social status, including the 1930s-'40s Great Migration to Northern industrial cities C. European life D. European-American life E. the space program
12. The blues
A. is a vocal music only B. is an instrumental music only C. can be instrumental or vocal D. is neither instrumental or vocal E. is more about musical virtuosity than about feeling
13. The blues is performed
A. for personal solace B. for social purposes C. for entertainment purposes D. to make money E. all of the above
14. The blues can be modified by
A. simplification - resulting in vamps of open duration B. complication - through harmonic substitutions and extensions, i.e., more complex chords and chord progressions C. complication - major or minor keys D. complication - choice of tempos: a range from extremely slow to extremely fast E. all of the above
15. Like a jazz tune, a blues tune
A. is played the same way every time regardless of who is playing B. is played the same way when repeated by the same artist but played differently when played by a different artist C. is played the same way in the middle but differently in the beginning D. is played the same way in the middle but differently at the end E. is never played the exact same way twice
16. The blues has been and remains an influential source of musical, emotional, and commercial material for
A. jazz B. folk and country music C. rock D. hip-hop E. all of the above
17. The roots of the blues include
A. African music techniques such as vocal melisma and instrumental timbral variations such as slides, slurs, and multiphonics B. plantation and work songs C. minstrel music and spirituals D. popular dance music E. all of the above
18. The Mississippi plantation where such blues originators as Charlie Patton developed their style of music is
A. Dockery Farms B. Latta Plantation C. Magnolia Plantation D. Plymouth Plantation E. Kingston Plantation
19. Folk Blues (also known as Country Blues, Rural Blues, and Downhome Blues)
A. refers to all the acoustic guitar-driven styles of the blues B. refers to a sophisticated, "polished" style of the blues, usually with lyrics depicting city life C. refers to the first blues songs to be recorded, mostly by female vocalists using jazz accompanists D. was performed by such artists as Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson E. A and D
20. Classic Blues
A. refers to all the acoustic guitar-driven styles of the blues B. refers to a sophisticated, "polished" style of the blues, usually with lyrics depicting city life C. refers to the first blues songs to be recorded, mostly by female vocalists using jazz accompanists D. was performed by such artists as Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith E. C and D
21. Urban Blues (also know as Chicago Blues and Electric Blues)
A. refers to all the acoustic guitar-driven styles of the blues B. refers to a sophisticated, "polished" style of the blues, usually with lyrics depicting city life C. refers to the first blues songs to be recorded, mostly by female vocalists using jazz accompanists D. was performed by such artists as T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, and Howlin’ Wolf E. B and D
22. Blues and rock ‘n’ roll crossover artists include
A. Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner B. Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday C. Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jeff Beck D. Joao Gilberto, Dembo Konte, Kronos Quartet, Nas E. A and C
23. Blues recordings produced in the early twentieth century were known as
A. jazz records B. race records C. country and western records D. African-American records E. European-American records
24. Jazz musicians in the bebop era
A. took the blues and made it simpler so that even the least talented among them could play it B. kept the feeling of the blues but made the chords, chord progressions, and improvisations musically more complex C. kept the blues’ chorus length the same but simplified the chords when playing a blues song D. played blues tunes exactly how they was recorded out of respect for their forbearers E. wanted nothing to do with the blues
25. The blues
A. are honest B. are enduring C. arose from the struggles of people trying to find themselves and their way in America D. is the American story, told wherever Americans and American culture go E. all of the above
Fill in the blank with the correct answer.
1. The ______, perhaps more than any other music, is jazz's greatest influence.
2. The blues began in the region known as the ______Delta.
3. The blues is approximately ______old.
4. Folk Blues is also known as ______Blues, ______Blues, and ______Blues.
5. The primary instrument used in Folk Blues is the acoustic ______.
6. ______is considered the “Father of Delta Blues.”
7. Classic Blues refers to the first blues songs to be recorded, mostly by female ______using jazz accompanists.
8. Mamie Smith's recording of “______” sold over a million copies in 1920-1921.
9. Urban Blues is also known as ______Blues and ______Blues.
10. Urban Blues refers to a sophisticated, “polished” style of the blues with lyrics usually depicting ______.
11. Film director ______produced “The Blues” film series in 2003.
12. The blues singer knows as the “Empress of the Blues” was ______.
13. The blues singer knows as the “Queen of the Blues” was ______.
14. The blues singer knows as the “Mother of the Blues” was ______.
15. The Mississippi plantation where many believe blues began is ______Farms.
16. Besides his guitar playing and singing, Charlie Patton was also known for his ______, which has influenced many rock musicians since.
17. “St. Louis Blues” was written by ______.
18. The number of chords in a typical early blues chord progression is ______.
19. The number of measures in a typical blues chorus is ______.
20. Blues lyrical content is usually ______, as opposed to sacred.
21. The poetic form of most blues lyrics is ______.
22. The blues can be modified by simplification or ______.
23. Blues recordings produced in the early twentieth century were known as ______records.
24. Jazz musicians in the bebop era took the blues chord-progression and made it more ______.
25. The blues comedy duo of the 1980s that originated on the TV show Saturday Night Live was the ______.
Please answer true or false to the following questions.
1. The blues has had little influence on jazz. T F
2. The blues as a particular style of music is about two centuries old. T F
3. The blues first appeared in the city of New York. T F
4. The primary creators of the blues were African American. T F
5. Today, the blues is performed and listened to by people all over the world. T F
6. The blues was born out of the Black experience in America. T F
7. The blues is a feeling, a kind of musical scale, a type of song, and a particular chord progression. T F
8. The blues is a popular, tradition-oriented music style of post-Civil War rural Southern African-American T F origin with usually secular (as opposed to sacred) content.
9. The blues evolved primarily from classical music, particularly Bach. T F
10. The blues has been performed for private, personal solace as well as for social/entertainment purposes. T F
11. The development of the blues reflects the historical development of African-American life and minority T F social status, including the 1930s-'40s Great Migration to Northern industrial cities.
12. The blues song form structure has been formalized as having a 32-bar chorus length. T F
13. The poetic (lyrical) form of a traditional blues song is AABA. T F
14. Early blues chord progressions consisted of three chords: the I chord, the IV chord, and the V chord. T F
15. Folk Blues is also known as Classic Blues. T F
16. Country Blues is also know as Urban Blues. T F
17. Guitarist B. B. King is considered the “Father of the Delta Blues.” T F
18. Bessie’s Smith’s recording of Crazy Blues sold over a million copies during its first year of release. T F
19. Ma Rainey is known as the “Empress of the Blues” and was a Bessie Smith protege. T F
20. Mamie Smith is known as the “Mother of the Blues.” T F
21. While influenced by the blues, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie are more known for T F playing bebop.
22. Hip-hop artist Nas considers himself too hip to be bothered with the blues. T F
23. Charlie Patton learned how to play the blues while living at Dockery Farms. T F
24. In the early 20th century, Dockery Farms covered over 28 square miles and had its own currency, general store, T F physician, and school.
25. The blues has been adopted as a genre, style, and concept world-wide and, like jazz, is considered T F one of America's greatest artistic gifts to the world.
Match the words in the columns correctly.
1. the blues 1. ______A. personal solace as well as entertainment purposes
2. Mississippi Delta 2. ______B. African music, work songs, dance music, spirituals
3. the development of the blues reflects… 3. ______C. Country Blues, Rural Blues, and Downhome Blues
4. the blues has been performed for… 4. ______D. first style of blues to be recorded (female vocalists)
5. the blues functions as… 5. ______E. British rock artists influenced by the blues
6. blues chorus length 6. ______F. jazz’s greatest influence
7. poetic form of the blues 7. ______G. blues/rock ‘n’ roll crossover artist from KC
8. blues’ roots 8. ______H. blues comedy team
9. Folk Blues is also known as 9. ______I. an objectification of conflicting feelings
10. Charlie Patton 10. ______J. “empress of the blues”
11. Classic Blues 11. ______K. region where blues began
12. Mamie Smith 12. ______L. blues guitar legend and noted diabetic
13. Bessie Smith 13. ______M. “queen of the blues”
14. Ma Rainey 14. ______N. contemporary blues artist
15. Urban Blues 15. ______O. “father of the Delta blues”
16. Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso 16. ______P. plantation where blues began
17. Big Joe Turner 17. ______Q. AAB
18. Ray Charles 18. ______R. the development of African-American life
19. Rolling Stones 19. ______S. great jazz musician who made the blues more “complex”
20. the Blues Brothers 20. ______T. Brazilian musicians influenced by the blues
21. B.B. King 21. ______U. hip-hop artist heavily influenced by the blues
22. Dockery Farms 22. ______V. 12 measures (12 bars)
23. Charlie Parker 23. ______W. Chicago Blues and Electric Blues
24. Nas 24. ______X. blues/rock/gospel artist
25. Keb’ Mo 25. ______Y. “mother of the blues”
Essay Questions.
Essay Question #1
In what ways are your favorite rap, hip-hop, country and/or rock songs like the blues? In what ways are they different?
Essay question #2
Can you find representations of the blues -- the music, the musicians, or the musical contexts – in advertisements, on television, or in other mass media? What does mass media use the blues to signify?
Essay question #3
How do the electric bands of the urban blues and the solo or duo performers of the rural blues demonstrate differences between the cultures of big cities and agricultural regions?
Essay question #4
Can you hear the emotions sung of in the blues in musics from Eastern or Western Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and Central America, Africa or the Middle East? Is the emotional “story” told in those musical examples similar or different than in the blues?
Essay question #5
What were the earlier sources of the songs Charlie Patton, the Mississippi Sheiks, and others performed in and around Dockery Farms in the early 20th century? How were the Delta bluesman discovered beyond the areas they could reach easily from their home bases at or near Dockery Farms?