CHAPTER 8: Count Basie and Duke Ellington
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which state is not part of “The Southwest” as described in the jazz parlance of the 1930s?
a.
Texas
b.
Arizona
c.
Oklahoma
d.
Missouri
e.
Louisiana
2. All of the following are true of boogie-woogie EXCEPT:
a.
blues piano style
b.
played by solo pianists in barrelhouses and speakeasies during the Swing Era
c.
became fashionable in New York after its inclusion in John Hammond’s “From Spirituals
to Swing” concert
d.
distinguished by its driving ostinatos played by the pianist’s right hand
e.
includes percussive cross-rhythms between the pianist’s two hands
3. Which does NOT accurately describe territory bands?
a.
Most never made commercial recordings.
b.
They provided a pool of talent for national bands.
c.
They included all-female bands.
d.
They typically covered an area that could be reached in a day’s drive.
e.
They were incredibly lucrative for the bandleaders and musicians.
4. Mary Lou Williams was:
a.
an avid student of the recordings of Earl Hines, Jelly Roll Morton, and James P. Johnson
b.
a celebrated arranger for Andy Kirk’s Clouds of Joy
c.
a powerful and insistent pianist
d.
an intuitive musician with perfect pitch and a strong memory
e.
all of the above
5. How did Mary Lou Williams deal with the limited number of instruments when arranging
“Walkin’ and Swingin’”?
a.
required players to double on saxophone and trumpet
b.
used only unison lines
c.
scored one trumpet together with the three-member saxophone section
d.
brought in extra players for the recording section
e.
asked all the musicians to play with mutes on their horns
6. Mary Lou Williams became a mentor for which younger pianist?
a.
Bill Evans
b.
Thelonious Monk
c.
Red Garland
d.
Billy Strayhorn
e.
Marian McPartland
7. Count Basie is thought of as a Kansas City musician but he is actually from which state?
a.
New Jersey
b.
New York
c.
Pennsylvania
d.
Oklahoma
e.
California
8. Why are Kansas City-style compositions referred to as head arrangements?
a.
they are composed by the head of the ensemble
b.
the leader of each section is responsible for writing out the parts
c.
the complete arrangements are stored in the heads of the band members
d.
only the main melody is written down
e.
the written parts are very complicated and require a lot of thinking
9. Kansas City jam session was famous for:
a.
providing lucrative performance opportunities for up-and-coming musicians
b.
being a place to hear the most polished professional bands in the Southwest
c.
increasing the national public profile of the best territory bands
d.
having tunes that lasted well over an hour
e.
all of the above
10. What advantage did riff-based head arrangements give Kansas City bands in competitive
situations?
a.
They could quickly change from one tune to another.
b.
To please dancers, they could extend a tune as long as necessary by adding new riffs and
solos.
c.
Arrangements were all played at the fastest possible tempo.
d.
Because everyone played in unison, the band sounded louder than other ensembles.
e.
They could carefully plan every moment of the performance in advance.
11. John Hammond discovered the Count Basie band after hearing them where?
a.
playing in the back of a truck
b.
at a Chicago ballroom
c.
on a Decca recording
d.
on his car radio
e.
on a Mississippi riverboat
12. All of the following were challenges faced by the Basie band as they established themselves as a
national act EXCEPT:
a.
expanding from nine musicians to fifteen
b.
improving the band’s musical consistency
c.
learning traditional dance band repertoire
d.
perfecting a repertoire that emphasized simplicity
e.
refining a more reserved approach to swing
13. Which of Walter Page’s musical contributions to the Basie rhythm section made dancers happy?
a.
He “evened out” the pulse, presenting four equally accented beats per bar.
b.
He played with a bow, blending with the saxophone section.
c.
He presented a loose sense of rhythm, speeding up and slowing down expressively.
d.
He was very loud, drowning out the drums and piano.
e.
He worked with the other members of the band to produce a heavy, plodding pulse.
14. The “rivalry” between which two members of the Basie band was widely imitated by other
bandleaders?
a.
Trumpeters “Hot Lips” Page and “Sweets” Edison
b.
Trombonists Eddie Durham and Dickie Wells
c.
Saxophonists Lester Young and Hershel Evans
d.
Vocalists Jimmy Rushing and Billie Holiday
e.
Bassist Walter Page and drummer Jo Jones
15. Which does NOT describe Basie’s “New Testament” band?
a.
played fully written-out arrangements
b.
formed in the 1950s, after the Swing Era had concluded
c.
worked closely with a wide range of top vocalists
d.
returned to Kansas City and remained there for the vast majority of their performances and
recordings
e.
featured guitarist Freddie Green from the original Basie band
16. All of the following describe Duke Ellington’s compositional process EXCEPT:
a.
He wrote down ideas wherever he was, including on the train.
b.
He used visual images or scenes to stimulate the composition process.
c.
He involved the musicians in his orchestra in the composition process.
d.
His process often led to confusing scores and unclear performance instructions.
e.
He worked primarily in isolation.
17. Though Duke Ellington was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1965, who was given the award that
year?
a.
Count Basie
b.
no one
c.
John Cage
d.
John Lennon
e.
Lawrence Welk
18. In which performance venue was Duke Ellington “at the height of his creative powers”?
a.
recording studio
b.
large ballroom
c.
radio station
d.
intimate theater
e.
outdoor festival stage
19. In which of the following ways does the orchestration of “Mood Indigo” differ from a traditional
New Orleans front line?
a.
the brass soloists play in their high register
b.
the clarinet plays low, rich pitches
c.
the brasses are muted and distant
d.
all of the above
e.
none of the above
20. Ellington’s 1943 extended work in which he attempted to depict “the history of the American
Negro” is called:
a.
Black and Tan Fantasy
b.
Black Beauty
c.
Symphony in Black
d.
Black, Brown, and Beige
e.
Diminuendo and Crescendo in Black
21. How did Duke Ellington afford to keep his band together in the lean years of the 1950s?
a.
He reduced the size of the band.
b.
He required the musicians to pay for their own travel.
c.
He paid for the band’s expenses with his recording royalties.
d.
He fired many expensive star performers.
e.
He stopped recording.
22. What 1956 event helped return Ellington to the national spotlight and out him on the cover of Time
magazine?
a.
a hit record featuring vocals by Louis Armstrong
b.
a crowd-pleasing performance at the Newport Jazz Festival
c.
an Oscar for his work as a movie actor
d.
a performance at the White House
e.
a Pulitzer Prize
23. Billy Strayhorn’s first composition for the Ellington band was based on what piece of information?
a.
directions on how to get to Harlem
b.
an indicator of Strayhorn’s health
c.
a story about a girl who missed her friend
d.
a riff that Ellington scribbled on a napkin
e.
Strayhorn’s childhood nickname
24. The classic recording of Billy Strayhorn’s “Blood Count” features which Ellingtonian as soloist?
a.
Juan Tizol
b.
Ben Webster
c.
Harry Carney
d.
Johnny Hodges
e.
Cootie Williams
TRUE/FALSE
1. Boogie-woogie piano creates an insistent eight-beat rhythmic feel.
2. Performing in an all-female band was the only way for a female musician to play professionally in
the 1930s.
3. Kansas City jazz bands made extensive use of head arrangements, which were improvised and
memorized but not written down.
4. Count Basie’s “One O’Clock Jump” was notated only so that its copyright could be reserved.
5. Count Basie’s rhythm section was widely considered the best rhythm section of the Swing Era.
6. Collectively, Count Basie, Walter Page, Jo Jones, and Freddie Green were known as “The All-Star
Rhythm Section.”
7. Duke Ellington proudly defended the use of the word “jazz.”
8. In part, the orchestration of “Mood Indigo” was the result of a faulty microphone.
9. As a “race man,” Duke Ellington supported segregation.
10. Most of Duke Ellington’s larger works from the 1950s carry Billy Strayhorn’s name as
cocomposer.
SHORT ANSWER
1. John Hammond’s 1938 Carnegie Hall concert, ________________, exposed many listeners to
boogie-woogie piano style for the first time.
2. Count Basie’s first exposure to the style of the territory bands was a member of ___________, an
Oklahoma City group led by bassist Walter Page.
3. After the death of Bennie Moten, Count Basie began his first gig as a leader with a residency at
____________ in Kansas City.
4. Because Count Basie was under contract with Decca, John Hammond secretly made his first
recordings for Columbia Records under the name ________________________.
5. Duke Ellington was among the first composers to write long-form pieces that were native to
________ technology.
6. No Ellington soloist was more important to the band’s sound than alto saxophonist
______________, who stayed with the band for more than forty years.
MATCHING
Match each performer to the instrument they played in the Count Basie Orchestra.
a.
Bass
d.
Tenor saxophone
b.
Piano
e.
Guitar
c.
Drums
1. Freddie Green
2. Jo Jones
3. Walter Page
4. Lester Young
5. Count Basie
Match each Ellingtonian to the instrument they played in the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
a.
Baritone saxophone
d.
Visceral and elegant saxophone
b.
Trumpet with mutes and plungers
e.
Valve trombone
c.
New Orleans-style clarinet
6. Johnny Hodges
7. Harry Carney
8. Juan Tizol
9. Barney Bigard
10. Cootie Williams
ESSAY
1. How does the role and status of jazz within the Swing Era compare with its position in American
culture in earlier decades?
2. Compare and contrast the musical styles of the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands.
3. Explain Duke Ellington’s description of his work as “Negro Folk Music.” Provide examples of his
compositions that demonstrate the ideology underpinning this phrase.
