CHAPTER 7: Swing Bands
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which historical event coincided with the beginning of the Swing Era?
a.
the stock market crash of 1929
b.
the armistice marking the end of World War I
c.
the publication of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
d.
the election of Herbert Hoover as President of the United States
e.
Hitler’s invasion of Poland
2. All of the following groups were part of the political coalition that led to the election of Franklin
D. Roosevelt in 1932 EXCEPT:
a.
African Americans
b.
organized labor
c.
the banking industry
d.
the dispossessed poor
e.
Southern whites
3. Which historical event provided an unprecedented boost to the American economy, leading the
country out of the Great Depression in the early 1940s?
a.
the invention of the jukebox
b.
Roosevelt’s signing of the New Deal
c.
the baby boom
d.
World War II
e.
the widespread adoption of radio
4. Who was the primary audience for swing music?
a.
war veterans
b.
teenagers
c.
urban professionals
d.
rural southerners
e.
fans of New Orleans-style jazz
5. What was the economic status of the recording industry in the 1930s?
a.
a wealth of new record labels flooded the market
b.
the low cost of recordings led to booming sales
c.
radio exposure provided artists with a new audience and increased sales
d.
the jukebox centralized listening and sales around a few influential companies
e.
many recording labels went out of business
6. In the late 1930s, the three major record labels produced what percentage of popular recordings?
a.
90%
b.
75%
c.
50%
d.
25%
e.
10%
7. Which best describes how swing music related to the rest of the entertainment industry?
a.
Swing bands avoided songs that were heard in movies.
b.
Swing bands played a song repertoire that was unavailable in other ways.
c.
Swing bands drew from the same repertoire of popular songs that was distributed via
radio, movies, sheet music, and jukeboxes.
d.
Swing bands derived the majority of their repertoire from movies.
e.
Swing bands provided entertainment for an older population that was underserved by other
popular styles.
8. Each of the following skills was expected of all swing musicians EXCEPT:
a.
play their instrument flawlessly
b.
improvise convincingly
c.
sight-read music efficiently
d.
dance during the band’s performance
e.
act as a professional and dependable employee
9. Which rhythmic feel became the standard for swing music?
a.
two-beat groove
b.
Latin groove
c.
four-beat groove
d.
boogie-woogie eighth-notes
e.
three-beat waltz feel
10. Which is NOT true of the Savoy Ballroom during the Swing Era?
a.
located in midtown Manhattan, near Times Square
b.
open to white and black customers
c.
large and well-decorated
d.
its primary constituency was drawn from the surrounding neighborhood, and included
visitors from everywhere
e.
closely associated with the band led by drummer Chick Webb
11. In what way was the Lindy Hop more “African” than the popular dances that came before it?
a.
creates polyrhythm between movement and music
b.
low to the ground
c.
requires flexibility in the knees and hips
d.
allows room for improvisation
e.
all of the above
12. During the Swing Era, the string bass replaced which instrument in the big band’s rhythm section?
a.
baritone saxophone
b.
banjo
c.
guitar
d.
tuba
e.
bass trombone
13. What is a head arrangement?
a.
an arrangement of just the theme of a song
b.
an especially complex written arrangement
c.
an arrangement created by musicians who improvise riffs and spontaneously harmonize
them
d.
an arrangement created by the director of the band
e.
a large section of harmonized block chords
14. “Blue Lou,” by the Fletcher Henderson band, is built around what simple idea?
a.
stop-time rhythmic accompaniment
b.
two-note blue note figure in the melody
c.
syncopated bass ostinato
d.
a key change for every new chorus
e.
a “battle” between two soloists
15. What style of jazz did the Benny Goodman Orchestra perform?
a.
sweet arrangements by white arrangers such as Ferde Grofé
b.
semiclassical arrangements by William Grant Still and Eddie Sauter
c.
head arrangements by members of the band
d.
hot arrangements by black arrangers including Fletcher Henderson and Benny Carter
e.
New Orleans-style collective improvisations
16. What was the most important and unusual aspect of Benny Goodman’s 1930s quartet?
a.
They played New Orleans-style small-group jazz during the height of the swing era.
b.
The group included no pianist.
c.
It was a racially integrated band.
d.
None of the members could read music.
e.
The group had two drummers.
17. Which musical entrepreneur and activist motivated Benny Goodman to perform with an integrated
small group?
a.
John Hammond
b.
Aaron Copland
c.
Joe Glaser
d.
Norman Granz
e.
Leonard Feather
18. All of the following describe the serious jazz fans of the Swing Era EXCEPT:
a.
They collected records.
b.
They formed “hot clubs” for jazz enthusiasts.
c.
They published discographies.
d.
They bought all of their records directly from the artists.
e.
Some wrote for the new jazz magazines.
19. Which Swing Era bandleader was a virtuoso clarinetist, included a string section in his dance band,
was married eight times, and periodically left the music business?
a.
Benny Goodman
b.
Woody Shaw
c.
Artie Shaw
d.
Art Pepper
e.
Glenn Miller
20. Which Swing Era bandleader did not play an instrument with his band, turned his student band into
a professional band, insisted on precision and showmanship from his musicians, and led his group
on a punishing schedule of one-night engagements?
a.
Artie Shaw
b.
Jimmie Lunceford
c.
Jimmy Dorsey
d.
Glenn Miller
e.
Gene Krupa
21. Which Swing Era bandleader played trombone, used clarinet as the lead voice of his saxophone
section, had great success with simple, melodic arrangements, formed a military band, and died in
an accident while flying over the English Channel in 1944?
a.
Benny Goodman
b.
Artie Shaw
c.
Jimmy Dorsey
d.
Jimmie Lunceford
e.
Glenn Miller
22. Which Swing Era bandleader danced and sang songs with slang and scat lyrics, dressed in zoot suit
style, followed Duke Ellington’s band at the Cotton Club, and had a hit with “Minnie the
Moocher”?
a.
Glenn Miller
b.
Dizzy Gillespie
c.
Cab Calloway
d.
Lionel Hampton
e.
Benny Goodman
TRUE/FALSE
1. The Swing Era was defined by a focus on small-group jazz.
2. In the late 1930s, no one could afford to go to the movies.
3. Many African Americans worked as musicians in swing bands, but the majority of Swing Era
profits were enjoyed by white musicians and business owners.
4. The Lindy Hop was named after Lindy Buchanan, the daughter of the Savoy Ballroom’s owner.
5. The guitar replaced the banjo within the rhythm section because the guitar provided a louder and
more percussive sound.
6. In the early 1930s, white musicians were unable to make a living playing “hot” jazz.
7. The Benny Goodman Orchestra found its audience through national radio broadcasts.
8. Benny Goodman promoted racial integration by inviting pianist Teddy Wilson to join his trio.
9. By 1940, the swing craze was over.
10. Artie Shaw resented that his fans continually requested to hear the same hit songs.
11. Trumpeter Roy Eldridge received special treatment as a black artist touring the American south.
SHORT ANSWER
1. With its participatory culture and broad popularity, swing became an important symbol of
__________ during World War II.
2. Victor recording company survived the 1930s because it merged with the _____ radio network.
3. Swing dancing emerged from the practices originated at the ___________________ in Harlem.
4. The final climactic chorus of a big band arrangement was often called a ________________.
5. Songs that become well-known enough among jazz musicians to be permanently added to the
repertory are referred to as ____________.
6. Because of his precision and authority, Jimmie Lunceford was nicknamed _______________.
7. During World War II, record companies struggled to meet demand because the supply of
________, the material used to make 78-rpm records, was limited.
MATCHING
Match each person to the correct description below.
a.
Sy Oliver
d.
Leonard Feather
b.
Charles Lindbergh
e.
Cab Calloway
c.
Teddy Wilson
1. Graceful pianist who often performed with Benny Goodman as a “special guest”
2. One of the first jazz critics
3. Bandleader who appeared at age 73 in The Blues Brothers
4. First pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean
5. Distinctive arranger and one of the first black record executives
ESSAY
1. The authors refer to Swing as “a counterstatement to reality.” Explain the importance of the music
within its historical context, and describe the musical and extramusical ways that swing music
served its purpose in a time of great need.
2. Discuss the differences between the opportunities and working environments available to white
musicians and black musicians in the Swing Era.