CHAPTER 9: A World of Soloists
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. What was the main impetus for star soloists of the Swing Era to develop strikingly distinct
individual approaches to timbre, melody, and rhythm?
a.
Poor recording fidelity meant that subtle stylistic details were inaudible.
b.
Increased film opportunities led to stark musical branding.
c.
A resurgence of interest in vaudeville required musicians to caricature their own sounds.
d.
They were given short solo breaks and wanted to be sure that radio audiences could
identify them quickly.
e.
All of the above
2. All of the following are true of 1940s jam sessions EXCEPT:
a.
provided an opportunity for musicians to experiment
b.
occurred after hours
c.
became increasingly popular during World War II
d.
eventually drew a large audience as formal, staged events
e.
participation was expressly forbidden by many top bandleaders
3. Which of the following professional opportunities was NOT available to top jazz musicians in the
1940s?
a.
working on records
b.
playing in pit bands
c.
soloing with symphony orchestras
d.
playing on movie soundtracks
e.
performing in radio studios
4. Why can Coleman Hawkins be convincingly described as the father of the jazz tenor saxophone?
a.
He was the first tenor saxophonist to play jazz.
b.
By establishing a strong jazz style on the instrument, he ended its previously comic or
novelty image.
c.
Every significant swing tenor player sounded like him.
d.
He was the first jazz tenor saxophonist to be recorded.
e.
He was the first saxophonist to have success in Europe.
5. What was Coleman Hawkins’s “great musical innovation”?
a.
to improvise freely without reference to the harmony
b.
to perform variations based on a song’s harmonic structure
c.
to improvise variations on a song’s melody
d.
to place greater emphasis on rhythm than on melody and harmony
e.
to produce a straight tone with very little vibrato
6. Which musical element is most prominent in Coleman Hawkins’s improvised lines?
a.
arpeggios
b.
repeated short notes
c.
scale passages
d.
long sustained notes
e.
squeals and bends
7. What is Coleman Hawkins’s most significant harmonic innovation?
a.
using the song composer’s original chord changes at all times
b.
using major and minor triads exclusively
c.
using substitute chord changes
d.
playing generally in the key rather than on each chord
e.
playing mostly notes not included in the composition’s harmonic structure
8. Why is Coleman Hawkins’s 1939 recording of “Body and Soul” considered a landmark of jazz
improvisation?
a.
It demonstrates a mastery of melodies formed with arpeggios.
b.
It blends improvisational spontaneity with compositional logic.
c.
It completely abandons the melodic foundation of the song, spinning variations based on
the underlying harmonic structure.
d.
It featured a single soloist throughout the recording.
e.
All of the above
9. This tenor saxophonist, influenced by Coleman Hawkins, gained fame as a rambunctious soloist
with the Duke Ellington Orchestra:
a.
Chu Berry
b.
Ben Webster
c.
Lester Young
d.
Charlie Parker
e.
Johnny Hodges
10. In the development of his distinctive approach to the trumpet, Roy Eldridge studied all of the
following musicians EXCEPT:
a.
Louis Armstrong
b.
Coleman Hawkins
c.
Dizzy Gillespie
d.
Chu Berry
e.
Lester Young
11. Which does NOT describe Lester Young’s early musical experiences?
a.
played several instruments in a family band
b.
emulated the saxophone style of Frank Trumbauer
c.
took part in Kansas City jam sessions
d.
spent a long and successful time in the Fletcher Henderson band
e.
performed throughout the Midwest with King Oliver and other leaders
12. All of the following describe Lester Young’s improvisational style EXCEPT:
a.
improvised on the general harmonic framework rather than on each chord
b.
played with gruff, harsh timbres
c.
often repeated notes while changing the pitch slightly with alternate fingerings
d.
played rhythms that related to the four-beat measure in complex ways
e.
explored pitches and phrases that were not supported by the harmonic framework of the
composition
13. Which of the following was NOT an aspect of Lester Young’s personal style?
a.
spoke in a creative, personal slang
b.
wore a porkpie hat
c.
held his saxophone at an extreme horizontal angle
d.
wore narrow knit ties
e.
outgoing and brash in conversation
14. Which best describes Django Reinhardt’s right-hand technique on guitar?
a.
strong, percussive picking that resulted in a piercing tone
b.
soft, fluid strumming
c.
slow, deliberate picking
d.
fleshy fingerstyle plucking
e.
fast and light classical-style picking
15. Which author published Le jazz hot, the first serious critical book on American jazz in any
language, in 1934?
a.
Delaunay
b.
Darrell
c.
Panassié
d.
Ansermet
e.
Hodeir
16. Which is NOT an aspect of Benny Carter’s importance in jazz?
a.
instrumentalist
b.
radio personality
c.
composer-arranger
d.
bandleader
e.
social activist
17. Valaida Snow had great success, especially in Europe, with what aspect of jazz performance?
a.
trumpet
b.
voice
c.
dance
d.
conducting
e.
all of the above
18. All of the following are effects of sexism on female singers during the Swing Era EXCEPT:
a.
tended to be more valued for their appearance than for their musical talent
b.
referred to with demeaning terms, sometimes including references to songbirds
c.
when on the road with bands, expected to both sing and play instruments
d.
song lyrics tended to reinforce stereotypes of women as weaker than men
e.
accused of lesbianism if they did not dress or act in stereotypically feminine ways
19. This Billie Holiday recording was a powerful commentary on Southern lynching:
a.
“Oh! Lady Be Good”
b.
“One Hour”
c.
“A Sailboat in the Moonlight”
d.
“Strange Fruit”
e.
“Reckless Blues”
20. Which is NOT one of the stylistic influences of Louis Armstrong on Billie Holiday?
a.
melodic paraphrase
b.
scat singing
c.
swing feeling
d.
melodic embellishment
e.
blues feeling
21. All of the following describe Ella Fitzgerald’s musical style EXCEPT:
a.
four-octave range
b.
deft scat singing
c.
joyful timbre
d.
unusual timbral punctuations including squeals and growls
e.
deep connection to the blues
22. Norman Granz built which jazz record label around the work of Ella Fitzgerald?
a.
Verve
b.
Atlantic
c.
Blue Note
d.
Riverside
e.
Decca
TRUE/FALSE
1. During the Swing Era, soloists in swing bands were given long sections of the arrangements in
which to solo.
2. Coleman Hawkins’s 1939 recording of “Body and Soul” was the result of several months of
rehearsal and planning.
3. Coleman Hawkins influenced countless saxophonists throughout the 1940s, but his style did not
take root in Kansas City and the Southwest.
4. Many white saxophonists such as Zoot Sims and Stan Getz imitated Lester Young’s feathery
upper-register timbre.
5. Benny Carter was the first black artist to have success in integrating the Hollywood film industry.
6. In Denmark during World War II, jazz was understood as a form of Nazi propaganda.
7. Billie Holiday’s public downfall was in part due to her dependency on narcotics.
8. Ella Fitzgerald had a much smaller vocal range than Billie Holiday.
9. The drummer Chick Webb took Ella Fitzgerald under his wing and brought her to public attention.
10. In her scat improvisation on “Blue Skies,” Ella Fitzgerald interpolates a quotation from Gershwin’s
Rhapsody in Blue.
SHORT ANSWER
1. After completing their nightly work in refined, restrictive big bands, many soloists would
participate in _____________ where they could stretch out, experiment, and improvise.
2. ______________ was greatly influenced by Coleman Hawkins, even replacing Hawkins in
Fletcher Henderson’s band from 1935 to 1937.
3. Roy Eldridge broke the color barrier as the first black musicians to sit in a white jazz orchestra,
when he joined the band led by drummer _______________.
4. Lester Young’s two improvised choruses on _____________ are often cited as his finest recorded
work.
MSC: Factual
5. Benny Carter’s large group arrangements would often include a _____, chorus performed by the
full saxophone section in rhythmic unison.
6. During her tenure with the Basie band, Billie Holiday formed an intimate musical partnership with
saxophonist _________________.
7. Billie Holiday gained a reputation as a fearless and outspoken performer during her residency at
the ______________, an integrated nightclub in midtown Manhattan.
MATCHING
Match each soloist to the correct nickname below.
a.
Coleman Hawkins
d.
Lester Young
b.
Ben Webster
e.
Ella Fitzgerald
c.
Billie Holiday
1. Prez
2. First Lady of Song
3. The Brute
4. Bean
5. Lady Day
ESSAY
1. Compare and contrast the improvisation styles of Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young.
2. Discuss the growth of jazz in Europe in the 1940s. How was the music perceived by European
audiences and performers, and how did the music differ from that produced in America?
3. Compare and contrast the musical styles of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.