10 All That Jazz Questions | Other Music Trivia Quiz

Answer: Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt remains one of the most influential guitarists of all time. His forte was the acoustic guitar although he experimented with electric guitars later his career. Although born in Belgium, most of his life was spent in gypsy camps around Paris.

After being injured in a fire, he had to modify his guitar style which is unique and recognizable. Django was flamboyant and independent. He lived his life as if it might end today. Django might be wandering in the fields to smell the dew while a sold-out audience waited in a concert hall somewhere to hear him play.

He experienced great success when he partnered with the famed jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli.

Answer: Peggy Lee

Five of Peggy Lee's number number one hits are in the clue. Lee won 12 Grammy Awards for her recordings. In 1969 her recording of "Is That All There Is" won the best female vocal performance award. Whenever I hear that song, it sends shivers down my spine. Although she made few acting appearances, she was nominated for her supporting role in "Pete Kelly's Blues" (1955) playing a down-and-out jazz singer.

Answer: Claude Thornhill

Thornhill worked as a band musician for most of the 1930s with such notables as Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Paul Whiteman. As a studio musician, he worked with Andre Kostelanetz on his studio recording arrangements. It was not until about 1940 that he created his own big band. But his was different in that he sought a new sound. He included French horns and a tuba. He also had a choir of six clarinets that played in unison. Thornhill's piano styling flourished among the brass. His band was interrupted by WW2 but reorganized afterward. "Snowfall" was his theme song and most noted recording.

Aside: In high school my friend Bobby had an older brother who worked at the Deming Hotel in Terre Haute, Indiana. Thornhill visited frequently as this was his home town. A few of us would sneak into the Deming and hung out in a nearby room next to the room Thornhill had rented for his piano practice. A free concert.

Answer: Dave Brubeck

Brubeck had difficulty reading music. At Pacific University he was told that he should not be a piano teacher. Brubeck has a long career in music, recognized as a creative and innovative influence on music. He is particularly noted for his key changes and technical skills. Brubeck was the first jazz musician to be honored with a "Time Magazine" cover.

Aside: During the 1970s Brubeck toured with his sons who are also talented musicians. I was able to catch an open-air concert at the Milwaukee Summer Feast on a warm late June night. The audience was rapt.

Answer: Alto saxophone

In 1988 Clint Eastwood, a jazz fan among his other talents, directed "Bird", a bio of Parker's life. There was pressure on Eastwood to have someone re-record Parker's music because all the Parker records were in mono. Eastwood instead had a sound technician isolate Parker's music from others and then integrated the sound with a live stereo group. The film got good reviews and Forrest Whitaker got a Golden globe nomination.

Parker was most comfortable with the alto sax but could play others. Sometimes he would show up for a gig with no instrument and have to borrow one. His alcohol and heroin addition made him an unreliable performer but his stage presence was often riveting.

Answer: Mel Torme

Mel Torme was in show business for sixty-five of his sixty-nine years. He was a skilled drummer, a radio soap opera voice, a movie and television actor, and band singer, a solo performer, and authored five books. Scat singing was one of his many talents. His career had many ups and downs but he is remembered as mostly a skilled jazz performer, often referred to as "The Velvet Fog"--a term he disliked.

Aside: Each year LaCrosse, Wisconsin has an Oktoberfest where beer and entertainment are found in abundance. Friends in LaCrosse invited us to spend Oktoberfest with them. Mel Torme was the featured performer. I was pleasantly surprised at Torme's stage presence and his ability to charm his audience.

Answer: Artistry in Rhythm

The "Ebony Concerto" was composed by the classical musician, Igor Stravinski, who also assisted Herman in translating into a Big Band format. "Woodchopper's Ball" is Herman's most recognizable composition. "Early Autumn" is a cool jazz arrangement. "Artistry in Rhythm" is a Stan Kenton standard.

Aside: On our honeymoon in Las Vegas (yes, it is true)we found that Woody was playing at the Four Queens. It was a smaller group but still had a Big Band feel and sound and fit the relatively small room. Herman stood at the side to allow the musicians to show their stuff but would cut in for a 30 or 40 second clarinet riff from time to time. His sound was clear and flawless but he did look tired. Two years later he passed away.

Answer: Diana Ross

There is little doubt that Holliday was a great blues and jazz singer but much of what is known is of her dark side. The FBI kept a file on Holliday perhaps believing that she could lead them to higher echelon drug tsars. The actress, Tallulah Bankhead, asked the FBI to investigate her because she thought that Holliday was a great artist but she thought that drugs were bringing her down. Later, Bankhead wrote a letter rescinding her previous correspondence.

Aside: While I was in the army, Billie Holliday was scheduled to make a personal appearance where I was based. Because I was scheduled for duty, I was unable to attend. I was later told that her appearance was brief and that she seemed confused.

Answer: Buddy Rich

Rich was a colorful personality. Although he could be helpful and understanding, he had an acid tongue and temper. Therefore, he was a popular guest on talk shows both in the United States and the UK. You may chose to use 'arguably' or 'debatable' but many believe him to be the greatest drummer of all time.

Aside:A group of us heard that Buddy Rich was coming through Madison as this was between his gigs in Chicago and Milwaukee on his way to the Twin Cities. The night club--if one could call it that--had seen better days. The owner's idea of acoustics was to staple tin foil to the ceiling. A young rock and roll band had been engaged as an opening act. This group's ineptness was so bad that booing drowned out their unreliable sound equipment.

At last Buddy and his band appeared. Buddy wasted no time in blasting the opening act and getting to the evening we had all expected. Two members of our group were musicians (but who kept their day jobs). Several times they pointed out things that Rich was doing that were regarded as impossible, such as changing the left hand beat with the right hand beat without a pause.

Answer: Emma Kelly

Berendt's book immortalized Emma Kelly just as it did for another Savannah entertainer, Madame Chablis--but that is another story.

Aside: Both my wife and I had read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" but we borrowed the tape from the local public library to listen to on our vacation. We were lucky enough to catch Emma Kelly's performance at a local night club and were able to get her to sign our personal copy of the book.