Sultans of Swing Trivia Quiz

Answer: Trombone

The trombone was the favoured instrument of Glenn Miller who led one of the most influential big bands of the swing era. A big band would generally carry three to four trombones. Whilst they generally provided a support role it wasn't unusual to have a trombone feature with a solo.

Their tonal flexibility is incredible and it opens the door to some startling special effects. Jimmy Harrison, as part of the Fletcher Harrison band, is generally credited with bringing the trombone to the fore during the swing period. Jack Teargarden endeared it with grace, Tricky Sam Newton a bluesy growl and JJ Johnson was able to play the instrument with great speed and still be able to maintain the clarity of a saxophone.

Answer: Drums

Swing has an even four beat which was developed by drummers such as Dave Tough and Gene Krupa.
The drummer's role is to set up the ratio between the set up hit before the beat and the swing hit which comes behind it. In other words, what the drummer is really doing is putting in place the intensity of the swing feel. He will be responsible for letting us know if we are going on a slow, relaxing ride, an up-tempo, exhilarating escapade or he will find a place anywhere in between these two points.

Answer: Violin

Whilst the violin takes centre stage in an orchestra, in a big band its gentle delicacy is easily overrun by the brass section and, as a consequence, the role of the violin in jazz was restricted. It wasn't until pioneers such as Grapelli, Stuff Smith and Joe Venuti began to employ various techniques, such as playing the instrument upside down to extend the sound, that they were able to combine the smoothness of classical music with the grittiness of the blues to produce a sound bold enough to use the violin in creating inventive solos.

Answer: Double Bass

The bass provides background support for the rest of the band. You would not even know the bass existed in the band until you took it away. Straight away you would identify that the texture of the low register sounds has lost a lot of its thickness and colour. Count Bassie's bass player, Walter Page, was one of the men instrumental (the pun is not intended) in developing the modern four beat pulse that is strongly associated with jazz.

Answer: Trumpet

There are usually four trumpet players in a big band and their roles encompass both harmony and melody. The first trumpet player is called the 'lead' chair and the second is the 'jazz' chair. Whilst any one of the trumpet players can be called upon to produce an improvised solo it is usually acknowledged that this honour should fall to the 'jazz' chair.

The 'lead' holds great responsibility as it is their role to carry the melody over all the other musicians during the full band sections and play the highest notes during the ensemble sections. Louis Armstrong revolutionised the rhythmically stiff blues-based style of play while Bix Beiderbecke made the instrument sound elegant.

Answer: Vibraphone

Looking like a xylophone with large pan pipes attached the vibraphone produces a silvery tone and has a fixed pitch. Its sound possesses a shimmering delicacy that almost seems out of place in a jazz band, however, vibraharpists such as Lionel Hampton, managed to give the instrument a drummer's drive and this turned it into a bold and attacking instrument that gave it an emphatic swing sound.

Answer: Guitar

It is a misconception that the guitar does not belong in a big band. The guitar is pivotal in setting the ground rhythm, the intensity of the back beat and it also provides the chords that make up the foundation of the harmony. The guitar, along with the piano, fill in the chords that the other instruments can't and, in the process, give the band a much richer, fuller sound.

Answer: Saxophone

The alto and tenor saxophones almost dominated music in the late 1930's and during the 1940's. Initially this was achieved through the talents of Johnny Hodges and his romantic tones and then through Charlie Parker's bushfire of reshuffled harmonies and uneven phrasing. Big bands would carry as many as five saxophone players.

This included two tenors, the most expressive of all jazz instruments, able to produce those earthy, low register sounds but, as best shown by John Coltrane, could be extended to a soprano range.

There would also be two altos and a baritone. The saxophone is a very agile instrument and is able to cover both the melodic and harmonic roles within a big band. During the ensemble sections they are best suited to run with the faster passages that would prove extremely tough for the brass section.

Answer: Piano

They say that less is more when it comes to playing the piano in a big band setting. So much rhythmic and harmonic activity is derived from the horn section that if the pianist does not show great restraint and hold his section together there's a danger that the whole effect will degenerate into nothing more than noise. Piano players need to become the absolute masters of both time and space and their touch needs to be both light and, importantly, complementary.

Answer: Clarinet

The sound of the clarinet can best be described as fragile, autumnal or liquid. It has the capacity to produce a very evocative blues sound or some ecstatic upper-register wailing.
In most big bands it is the brass section that plays the lead melody with the clarinet relegated to playing the secondary. The role of clarinet player was generally assigned to the fifth saxophone player. In fact the fifth sax had to be very versatile as he was regularly required to double up on a wide assortment of reed instruments. It wasn't until the likes of Goodman, Shaw and Jimmy Dorsey that the clarinet became a prominent lead instrument. The three men mentioned managed to attain the sort of fame that was usually reserved for the trumpet players of the day.
Sadly the advent of bebop in the 1940's and the ascendency of the saxophone has seen the clarinet virtually disappear from use in jazz.