Some of you Jazz fans out there know a lot about the genre. From the deep cuts to the album personnel to artists’ backgrounds, your mind holds a lot of knowledge. But when put to the test, would you be able to answer our Jazz trivia questions? Would you be able to win an episode of Jazzology?
For anyone who isn’t familiar with Jazzology, it is Savage Content’s jazz trivia show. On Jazzology, guests compete head-to-head testing their jazz knowledge. Every episode, we invite two guests to compete against each other for a chance to win $100. The winner will return the following episode to compete again with a new contestant. We look for the Jazzologists of the world and see how many Jazz facts they truly hold in their brains.
Our Jazzology host is the esteemed jazz historian Willard Jenkins Jr., who is recognized and respected in the jazz community under his Open Sky Jazz banner. Jenkins has dedicated his career to the arts and the world of jazz. His many titles include artistic director, arts and music consultant, writer, producer, educator, broadcast journalist, and now web series host.
Willard Jenkins is a long-time Jazz buff who loves to challenge contestants, sometimes even asking trick questions to see who is a true Jazzologist. We have had some amazing contestants including musicians, Jazz enthusiasts, and Jazz foundation leaders. But even the most knowledgeable Jazz buffs get stumped by Willard Jenkins’ trivia questions. How do you measure up? Take the quiz below to see how you fare against past and present contestants!
You can find the answers at the end (no cheating!!)
1. This year will mark the 31st annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, August 25-27th, which takes place in several New York City parks. Where does the festival always kick off?
(A) Central Park
(B) Marcus Garvey Park
(C ) Thompkins Square Park
(D) Grammercy Park
(E) Bryant Park
2. Who was the drummer in the Spike Lee film “Mo Better Blues”?
(A) Lewis Nash
(B) Cindy Blackman Santana
(C) Jeff “Tain” Watts
(D) Terri Lyne Carrington
3. Saxophonist and composer Jacques Schwarz-Bart is a native of which of the following Caribbean islands?
(A) Martinique
(B) St. Barts
(C) Guadeloupe
(D) St. Martin
(E) Barbados
4. Which of the following pianists came up musically in Pittsburgh?
(A) Earl “Fatha” Hines
(B) Erroll Garner
(C) Ahmad Jamal
(D) Johnny Costa
(E) All of the above
5. Which of the following jazz musician-composers holds a Harvard University faculty position?
(A) Tyshawn Sorey
(B) Roscoe Mitchell
(C) Vijay Iyer
(D) Jason Moran
(E) Ran Blake
6. Name the tenor saxophonist known as both The Little Giant and as the Fastest Tenor in the West?
(A) Johnny Griffin
(B) Jimmy Heath
(C) Coleman Hawkins
(D) Sonny Rollins
(E) None of the above
7. What author collaborated with the late Yusef Lateef on his autobiography “The Gentle Giant”?
(A) Stanley Crouch
(B) Herb Boyd
(C) Amiri Baraka
(D) A.B. Spellman
(E) Robin D. G. Kelle
8. The Art Ensemble of Chicago was founded by saxophonists Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman, trumpeter Lester Bowie, and whom?
(A) Muhal Richard Abrams
(B) Famoudou Don Moye
(C) Malachi Favors
(D) Anthony Braxton
(E) Leroy Jenkins
9. The great bassist Dave Holland was once a member of a cooperative band called Circle with his fellow NEA Jazz Masters Chick Corea and Anthony Braxton. Who was the drummer in that band?
(A) Roy Haynes
(B) Lenny White
(C) Barry Altschul
(D) Ed Blackwell
(E) Andrew Cyrille
10. Gil Evans once collaborated in a jazz festival concert with which of the following pop/rock or R&B artists?
(A) Stevie Wonder
(B) Derek Trucks
(C) Sting
(D) Luther Vandross
(E) Lalah Hathaway
How did you do? Did you get them all right? Any that stumped you? Let us know in the comments! Be sure to check out Jazzology, live-streamed every other Friday at 2:30 EST on our YouTube channel to keep testing your knowledge and watch others test theirs! If you’re interested in becoming a contestant on our jazz trivia show, we’d love to have you! You can sign up to be put on our list here: https://bit.ly/jazzologysignup
You can check out all previous Jazzology episodes on our YouTube channel via the playlist. Subscribe to the channel to receive notifications for when we go live next!
Answers:
Ans: (B) Marcus Garvey Park (Harlem/Jazzmobile)
Ans: (C) Jeff “Tain” Watts
Ans : (C) Guadeloupe
Ans: (E) All of the above
Ans: (C) Vijay Iyer
Ans: (A) Johnny Griffin
Ans: (B) Herb Boyd
Ans: (C) Malachi Favors
Ans: (C) Barry Altschul
Ans: (C) Sting
Thanks for playing! See you next week.