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Jazz Guitarists: An Overview Trivia Quiz

A brief quiz covering 60 years worth of wonderful jazz guitarists. How many can you identify?

A multiple-choice quiz by wmshipman. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
wmshipman

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
179,182

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
715

Awards
Top 5% quiz!

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What St. Louis native is well known for his funky recordings, such as "His Majesty King Funk", but also recorded some wonderfully bluesy, more straight-ahead jazz albums -- including "Born To Be Blue"? Hint

Grant Green

Jim Martin

Bill Frisell

Dee Itami

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Question 2 of 10

2. What North Carolina-born guitar player made a name for himself as a giant of jazz guitar, even though he would disappear from the public scene for years at a time and recorded a relatively small number of albums -- including "Fuerst Set" and "Chromatic Palette"? Hint

Herb Ellis

Tal Farlow

Slap Murphy

George Benson

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Question 3 of 10

3. What guitarist plays a unique 8-string guitar that allows him to play basslines and melodic guitar riffs at the same time? Hint

Charlie Hunter

Stanley Jordan

Kevin Eubanks

Eddie Lang

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Question 4 of 10

4. Will Bernard, John Schott, Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola make up what guitar and drum quartet? Hint

The Soul Searchers

20 Strings and a Beat

T. J. Kirk

Troublefunk

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Question 5 of 10

5. Well known for playing with his thumb, rather than with a pick, what guitarist recorded the "Fingerpickin'" album in 1957 with his two brothers? Hint

Wes Montgomery

Doug Raney

Teddy Bunn

Pat Martino

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Question 6 of 10

6. Having played with artists from Chet Baker to Miles Davis, what guitarist went on to record the popular "A Go Go" album with support from rhythm trio Medeski, Martin and Wood? Hint

Pat Metheny

Larry Carlton

John Scofield

Steve Khan

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Question 7 of 10

7. This Washington, DC-area player made a lot of wonderful music with the help of his bass-playing brother Joe. Who is this guitarist, who is also well-known for his Brazil-influenced sound? Hint

Ralph Towner

Derek Bailey

Charlie Byrd

Bucky Pizzarelli

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Question 8 of 10

8. What guitarist backed up Ella Fitzgerald on her memorable "Cole Porter Songbook" recordings in 1956? Hint

Bernard Addison

Kenny Burrell

Russell Malone

Barney Kessel

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Question 9 of 10

9. What "modern swing" guitarist has recorded extensively with clarinet/saxophone player Ken Peplowski -- including the wonderful live recording "Concord Duo Series, Vol. 3"? Hint

Earl Klugh

Frank Vignola

Howard Alden

Cal Collins

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Question 10 of 10

10. Finally, what Texan is almost universally acknowledged as being the father of modern jazz guitar? Hint: He passed away in 1942. Hint

Django Reinhardt

Les Paul

Floyd Smith

Charlie Christian

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Grant Green

Much of Green's work has been panned by critics over the years, but albums like "Born To Be Blue" and "Matador" rank among the finest jazz guitar albums out there.

Answer: Tal Farlow

Tal, born in North Carolina in 1921, is widely considered to be one of the greatest guitarists of his generation -- and was certainly a leading jazz guitar figure in the mid-1950s.

3. What guitarist plays a unique 8-string guitar that allows him to play basslines and melodic guitar riffs at the same time?

Answer: Charlie Hunter

Hunter, who has released albums with a trio and with his group Pound For Pound, has a truly one-of-a-kind sound. My favorite Hunter albums are "Return of The Candyman" and "Bing, Bing, Bing!".

4. Will Bernard, John Schott, Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola make up what guitar and drum quartet?

Answer: T. J. Kirk

This quartet, which consists of three guitarists and a drummer (Amendola), draws its name from the fact that they only play music by Thelonious Monk (T), James Brown (J) and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. I love their rendition of "Ruby, My Dear" on the album "If Four Was One".

5. Well known for playing with his thumb, rather than with a pick, what guitarist recorded the "Fingerpickin'" album in 1957 with his two brothers?

Answer: Wes Montgomery

Wes' two brothers, Buddy and Monk, were part of a jazz group called the Mastersounds when they cut this album. Four years later, in 1961, Wes cut the landmark "The Legendary Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery" album that marked him out as one of the all-time great guitar players.

6. Having played with artists from Chet Baker to Miles Davis, what guitarist went on to record the popular "A Go Go" album with support from rhythm trio Medeski, Martin and Wood?

Answer: John Scofield

Scofield is the electric guitarist's electric guitarist -- he makes his guitar scream. Swinging from rock to bop, he shows off his funky side on "A Go Go".

7. This Washington, DC-area player made a lot of wonderful music with the help of his bass-playing brother Joe. Who is this guitarist, who is also well-known for his Brazil-influenced sound?

Answer: Charlie Byrd

Byrd was really the spark behind the latin-jazz craze (it was he who introduced Stan Getz to Brazilian music), and was a truly impeccable acoustic guitarist. Famously, he also got a chance to play with the immortal Django Reinhardt while in France during World War II (how cool is that?).

8. What guitarist backed up Ella Fitzgerald on her memorable "Cole Porter Songbook" recordings in 1956?

Answer: Barney Kessel

You can really hear Kessel's graceful playing in the opening of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" from these sessions.

9. What "modern swing" guitarist has recorded extensively with clarinet/saxophone player Ken Peplowski -- including the wonderful live recording "Concord Duo Series, Vol. 3"?

Answer: Howard Alden

While this Concord album has a boring title, it is a delightful recording. Alden and Pepowski really bring a variety of songs to life -- including Cole Porter's "Just One Of Those Things" and Jelly Roll Morton's "Why".

10. Finally, what Texan is almost universally acknowledged as being the father of modern jazz guitar? Hint: He passed away in 1942.

Answer: Charlie Christian

Christian's electric guitar solos changed the way musicians, and jazz fans, viewed jazz guitar -- taking it from the background to the forefront. Before dying at the tender age of 25, Christian had already played with Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk.

Source: Author wmshipman

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ralzzz before going online.
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