WorksheetsSection II: Introduction to Blues and its African Roots
Total questions: 67
Worksheet time: 34mins
According to the section, the word “blues” can refer to multiple things. Which option lists only meanings explicitly mentioned?
A style of music, a type of performance, a musical form, and a despondent state of mind
A color, a dance step, an orchestra section, and a happy mood
A recording label, a radio program, a concert hall, and a patriotic song
An African language, a poetry book, a painting style, and a festive parade
Fill in the blank: In African-influenced group singing, a solo leader presents a motif, and the chorus ________, either by echoing the motif or with a contrasting “answer.”
responds
ignores
interrupts
leaves
Which description best defines melisma as explained in the section?
Using percussion instruments to mark the beat
Setting one syllable of text to multiple pitches in the melody
Switching between major and minor keys in a song
Repeating the same lyric three times for emphasis
Match each blues-related term to its description.
call-and-response
Leader presents motif, group answers
melisma
One syllable sung over multiple pitches
blue notes
Altered third and seventh steps creating tonal ambiguity
chorus
Repeated section of a song in a twelve-bar blues
Which set of chords forms the basic harmonic foundation of the twelve-bar blues as described in this section?
Tonic (I), subdominant (IV), mediant (III)
Tonic (I), dominant (V), submediant (VI)
Tonic (I), dominant (V), and subdominant (IV)
Supertonic (II), dominant (V), leading tone (VII)
According to the text, what rhythmic characteristic of blues influenced the development of jazz “swing”?
Strict metronomic duple meter with even eighths
Flexible rhythm that lengthens the first eighth note in a pair and shortens the second eighth note
Triple meter with a strong downbeat on every third beat
Syncopation that eliminates the backbeat entirely
Which features of blues music help performers play together without sheet music?
The standardized twelve-bar blues form with three core chords and the a a b lyrical pattern enable coordination and improvisation.
The use of random chord progressions and free-form lyrics allows for easy collaboration.
Blues performers rely solely on visual cues and body language to play together.
Blues music uses complex, unpredictable structures that require extensive rehearsal.
According to the text, which of the following is NOT an alternate name for country blues?
Folk blues
Delta blues
Down-home blues
Vaudeville blues
Match each figure with the correct contribution or description related to blues.
Leadbelly (Huddie William Ledbetter)
One of the best-known singers of country blues; recorded first in 1933
W. C. Handy
Published early printed blues tunes; released first sheet music in 1912
Bessie Smith
Dubbed the “Empress of the Blues”; famous classic-blues singer
Robert Johnson
Achieved a cult following; mythologized for a sudden guitar improvement after a six-month absence
Identify two key differences between country blues and classic blues as described in the passage, citing specific characteristics for each style.
Country blues is improvised and solo, while classic blues is theatrical and often features women vocalists with accompaniment.
Country blues is always performed in large cities, while classic blues is only played in rural areas.
Country blues uses printed sheet music, while classic blues is passed by word-of-mouth.
Country blues is known for its planned rhythm, while classic blues is completely improvised.
Fill in the blank: The classic-blues style often featured accompaniment by either a piano or a small ensemble of players, called a _______.
combo
quartet
orchestra
band
According to the section, in what year did Bessie Smith record “Lost Your Head Blues,” and what conventional lyrical pattern did she use for it?
1923; a a a pattern
1926; a a b pattern
1926; a b a pattern
1925; a b b pattern
Match each term with its description as used in the analysis of “Lost Your Head Blues.”
A small decorative musical gesture added to climactic words
Ornament
An upward or downward bending of a note across several pitches
Glissando (also called a slide)
A short interlocking motif played by the cornet reacting to the singer’s phrases
Fill
A legacy technique from African singing alternating leader and response
Call-and-response
Which statement best describes Joe Smith’s role in the recording of “Lost Your Head Blues”?
He was Bessie Smith’s relative and played trumpet while leading the band
He was not related to Bessie Smith and played cornet, reacting to her improvised melody with interlocking fills
He accompanied on piano in the key of C, providing the main melody
He arranged the recording session and sang backing vocals
Fill in the blank: Fletcher Henderson provided ___________ on “Lost Your Head Blues,” laying out a steady supporting foundation in the key of E♭ while Bessie Smith improvised a melody on top of that backdrop.
piano
trumpet
drums
guitar
Which of the following best explains how Bessie Smith’s vocal techniques in “Lost Your Head Blues” illustrate the blues’ fluid, improvisatory style and the limitations of sheet music for conveying it?
Her use of slides and expressive phrasing demonstrates improvisation that cannot be fully captured by sheet music.
Her strict adherence to written notes shows the importance of sheet music in blues.
Her vocal techniques are identical to those found in classical music notation.
Her performance relies solely on instrumental accompaniment rather than vocal improvisation.
According to the listening guide for Bessie Smith’s “Lost Your Head Blues,” what musical elements establish the “swing” rhythm at the very start of the recording (0:00 Intro)?
Solo cornet cadenza only
Piano and cornet together
Voice with handclaps
Full band with drums
The guide repeatedly notes specific vocal and instrumental features. Match each time-stamped lyric moment to the musical feature described in the guide.
Cornet response (fill)
0:22 “I was with you, baby, when you didn’t have a dime”
Melisma on “gal”
1:05 “When you get a good gal, you better treat her nice.”
Small “quiver” ornament on “down”
0:32 “Now since you got plenty money, you have throw’d your good gal down.”
Pitch bend on “I’ll”
2:10 “But I’ll write you and tell you the reason why.”
According to the section, which early jazz styles were the most accessible to audiences before the popularity of swing?
New Orleans jazz, Dixieland, and Chicago jazz
Bebop, cool jazz, and free jazz
Ragtime, country blues, and gospel
Swing, big band, and modal jazz
Fill in the blank: The tightly concentrated red-light district in New Orleans, largely organized through legislation drafted by city alderman Sidney Story in 1897 and later nicknamed ________, became central to the earliest jazz activity.
Storyville
Harlem
Bourbon Street
Treme
Match each element of early New Orleans jazz practice to its description.
Collective improvisation
Simultaneous improvised parts creating a multi-layered effect
Heterophony
Texture where players improvise at the same time to create varied lines
Call-and-response techniques
Exchange of musical phrases enabling more effects
Why did early New Orleans combos tend to be inventive and lively in their performances, according to the text?
They strictly followed classical sheet music
They competed for customers in closely clustered houses of prostitution and aimed to please audiences
They were funded by city government grants requiring innovation
They only performed solo piano pieces
Early jazz pianists and combos adapted existing musical styles to create “New Orleans jazz” by:
Using ragtime as a foundation but playing it at faster tempos with swung rhythms and increased improvisation, and by imitating blues with call-and-response and collective improvisation.
Maintaining strict classical forms and avoiding improvisation.
Focusing solely on solo performances without any group interaction.
Eliminating all elements of blues and ragtime from their music.
According to the caption under the photograph, which group made the first jazz recording and what was the tune’s title?
Original Dixieland Jazz Band; Livery Stable Blues
King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band; Dippermouth Blues
Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five; West End Blues
Original Dixieland Jazz Band; Tiger Rag
Fill in the blank: The style label often applied by jazz historians to the music of early white ensembles like the Original Dixieland Jazz Band is _______.
Dixieland
Swing
Bebop
Cool Jazz
Which immediate consequence followed the 1917 closure of Storyville in New Orleans, as described in the text?
Jazz performances in New Orleans became more frequent and better paid
A sizable number of musicians lost employment and many began migrating north, especially to Chicago
Federal law banned jazz recordings until the 1920s
Storyville’s closure ended jazz activity across the entire United States
Match each item to its description based on the text.
Storyville closure (1917)
Ordered no prostitution near Army training camps; prompted closure
Secretary of War Newton W. Baker
Morality campaign influencing policy on prostitution
American Social Hygiene Organization
Resulting style name as musicians moved north from New Orleans
Chicago jazz
Led to loss of brothel-based employment and migration of musicians
Which statement best explains a musical change noted after musicians moved north to Chicago?
Heterophony increased and solos became shorter and rarer
Musical literacy declined, and arrangements were rarely notated
Players grew more expert; more music was arranged and notated; solos became longer while collective improvisation decreased
Instruments were simplified to accommodate new recording technology
COMPREHENSION PASSAGE: Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
"Due to the various musical changes that came about as players moved from the South to the North, scholars call the resulting style 'Chicago jazz.' One of the musicians whose recordings seem to stand right on the cusp between the older New Orleans jazz and the newer Chicago jazz was Joe 'King' Oliver (1881–1938). Oliver, a cornet player, had gotten his start in New Orleans, and eventually organized his own band, King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band. In Chicago, most of Oliver’s fellow musicians were also former New Orleans residents, and several of them were featured in the recordings that Oliver started making in April 1923. The recording process itself had numerous challenges. The Gennett studio was in Richmond, Indiana, which required a four-hour bus ride southeast of Chicago. It also required a return trip the same day, since in that era, no Richmond hotels would accommodate African Americans. Gennett’s long, narrow studio had walls filled with sawdust and covered by heavy draperies in an attempt to muffle the nearby train tracks. As a result, the studio consisted of 'an oppressively hot, sound-dead room,' wherein the rumblings of passing trains could be heard but musicians standing a few feet apart could barely hear each other. To collect the sound, two megaphone-shaped cardboard horns hung from the wall. Frustratingly, 'a Gennett session always began with the near-hopeless search for a balanced sound… The performers had to move themselves about the room, standing in various groupings at various distances from the immobile sound-catchers, until test pressings yielded something tolerable… For the Creole Jazz Band, all of whom were new to studio work, the process was tiresome and confusing.' Despite the difficulties, the band recorded lively performances that have been enjoyed for over a century."
(a)
According to the passage, in what month and year did Joe "King" Oliver begin making recordings with his band?
April 1917
April 1923
July 1925
March 1923
Based on the passage, identify one logistical challenge and one acoustic challenge the Creole Jazz Band faced when recording at Gennett studio.
Logistical: a same-day four-hour bus trip to Richmond, Indiana, and return because hotels would not accommodate African Americans. Acoustic: the hot, sound-dead room with immobile cardboard horns and nearby train noise made balancing sound difficult.
Logistical: lack of musical instruments. Acoustic: perfect sound quality due to advanced technology.
Logistical: easy access to hotels. Acoustic: no external noise interference.
Logistical: short distance to the studio. Acoustic: modern soundproof rooms.
Which evidence from the passage best supports that achieving a balanced sound was difficult during the sessions?
'Oliver… organized his own band'
'Two megaphone-shaped cardboard horns hung from the wall'
'A Gennett session always began with the near-hopeless search for a balanced sound… performers had to move themselves about the room'
'The studio was in Richmond, Indiana'
According to the analysis, which two cornetists are featured in Joe "King" Oliver's April 1923 recording of "Dippermouth Blues," and what city-style combo does the piece employ?
Joe "King" Oliver and Louis Armstrong; a typical New Orleans jazz-style combo
Joe "King" Oliver and Bix Beiderbecke; a Chicago big band
Louis Armstrong and Freddie Keppard; a New York swing combo
Joe "King" Oliver and King Porter; a Kansas City jam band
Fill in the blank: The early nickname "Dippermouth" was a teasing reference to Louis Armstrong, whose mouth was claimed to be _______.
as big as a dipper
as small as a button
as sharp as a knife
as quiet as a whisper
Which statement best describes the "Chicago effect" as discussed in the examination of Listening Guide 2 for "Dippermouth Blues"?
It refers to spontaneous, raucous heterophony that begins the first chorus.
It is heard in the cleanly executed introduction where two cornets play a descending eighth-note pattern in harmony, repeated twice in a descending sequence.
It is the use of banjo and woodblock to imitate street parades.
It describes the consistent use of a twelve-bar blues form in all choruses.
Match each musician with their role in the 1923 recording of "Dippermouth Blues."
Cornet (bandleader)
Joe "King" Oliver
Clarinetist
Johnny Dodds
Trombone
Honoré Dutrey
Piano
Lillian Hardin (Lil)
Using evidence from the passage, the stop-time choruses and the harmonized cornet introduction in "Dippermouth Blues" indicate pre-planning rather than spontaneous improvisation because:
they show coordinated musical elements that require rehearsal.
they are always improvised in jazz performances.
they were played by only one musician.
they were not written down in advance.
According to the listening guide for Joe "King" Oliver’s "Dippermouth Blues," which chorus first features Oliver’s famous cornet solo using the wah-wah mute?
Chorus 5
Chorus 6
Chorus 7
Chorus 8
Fill in the blank: The section labeled "Chorus 9" in the listening guide is also called the _______ because it functions as a collective-improvisation ending before the tag.
sock-chorus
bridge section
intro-chorus
coda
According to the section, what nickname did Lillian (Lil) Hardin earn due to her lively improvisations while demonstrating sheet music at Jones’ Music Store in Chicago?
The Queen of Swing
The Jazz Wonder Child
Chicago’s First Lady of Jazz
The Blues Empress
Fill in the blank: In 1922, Lil Hardin was credited with improving Louis Armstrong’s ability to read and write music and became his _______ in 1924.
second wife
manager
pianist
teacher
Match each figure or group to the specific role described in the text.
Credited with accompanying Bessie Smith in “Lost Your Head Blues”
Fletcher Henderson
Group that hired Lil Hardin after her impromptu audition at a local restaurant
New Orleans Creole Jazz Band
Band where Louis Armstrong first acquired a trumpet (instead of a cornet)
Fletcher Henderson Orchestra in New York
Manager posted a sign calling Armstrong the “World’s Greatest Trumpet Player”
Dreamland Club
Which statement best explains how Lil Hardin influenced Louis Armstrong’s career decisions, based on the passage?
She convinced Armstrong to remain with King Oliver permanently to secure steady income.
She encouraged Armstrong to leave King Oliver and take opportunities that showcased his talent, including joining Fletcher Henderson’s orchestra and later leading his own band.
She advised Armstrong to stop performing and focus solely on composing.
She arranged for Armstrong to tour Europe before recording in Chicago.
Using details from the text, explain how Lil Hardin’s background and actions contributed to her nickname and to Louis Armstrong’s rise in Chicago jazz, including references to the ‘Hot Five’ and scat singing if mentioned on this page.
Lil Hardin’s musical background and leadership helped her earn a nickname and played a key role in Louis Armstrong’s success in Chicago jazz, especially through the ‘Hot Five’ and the introduction of scat singing.
Lil Hardin was known for her singing only, and did not influence Louis Armstrong’s career or the development of Chicago jazz.
Lil Hardin’s nickname was unrelated to her musical background or actions, and she did not participate in the ‘Hot Five’.
Lil Hardin’s background was in classical music, and she discouraged Louis Armstrong from joining the ‘Hot Five’ or using scat singing.
According to the analysis of Lillian Hardin Armstrong’s “Hotter Than That,” what overall form did Hardin Armstrong adopt for the tune?
Twelve-bar blues form
Thirty-two-bar form
Sixteen-bar march form
Through-composed form
Fill in the blank: In “Hotter Than That,” Hardin Armstrong borrowed the _______ from the piece “Tiger Rag,” associating the tune with a preexisting set of harmonies.
changes
melody
lyrics
tempo
Which statement best describes the rhythmic phenomenon labeled as “polymetric terracing” in the third chorus of “Hotter Than That”?
A steady 4/4 swing throughout with no contrasts
Scat singing aligned exactly with the guitar’s rhythm
Shifting quarter-note triplets that briefly group into sets of three against the guitar’s common-time accompaniment
A tempo slowdown followed by a ritardando to end the chorus
Match each performer with the featured musical moment from the Listening Guide for “Hotter Than That.”
Louis Armstrong & Johnny St. Cyr
Chorus 1 features trumpet with banjo accompaniment
Armstrong (solo)
Trumpet break (2 bars)
Armstrong & St. Cyr (return)
Trumpet with banjo accompaniment resumes after 14 bars
Johnny Dodds
Clarinet solo break at 0:44
Which of the following best explains how “Hotter Than That” reflects Chicago-jazz style according to the section analysis?
It fits Chicago-jazz style with a long string of solos framed by heterophonic passages and increasingly sophisticated techniques; it uses a thirty-two-bar song form rather than a twelve-bar blues, and showcases advanced rhythmic play like polymetric terracing during scat singing.
It is based solely on a twelve-bar blues form and features only ensemble playing without solos.
It avoids advanced rhythmic techniques and uses a simple, repetitive structure throughout.
It primarily features solo piano with minimal use of brass or wind instruments.
Multiple select: Which features are specifically identified in the analysis and Listening Guide as occurring in “Hotter Than That”?
Use of twelve-bar blues choruses like “Dippermouth Blues”
A trumpet break lasting 2 bars
Call-and-response teasing between Armstrong and Johnson at the end of the scat chorus
Borrowed chord changes associated with “Tiger Rag”
At 2:18 in the listening guide for "Hotter Than That," which performer takes the solo and what is the accompaniment described?
Armstrong; trumpet with stop-time
Kid Ory; trombone with banjo & piano accompaniment
Dodds; clarinet with piano accompaniment
Johnson; guitar with trumpet accompaniment
According to the guide, identify the musical interaction described at 2:52 during the Coda of "Hotter Than That."
Trumpet & guitar in call-and-response
Clarinet solo with piano accompaniment
Drum solo with trumpet background
Saxophone and trombone duet
According to the text, which era did the emerging techniques of larger jazz ensembles foreshadow, dominating the nation in the 1930s and 1940s?
Bebop Era
Swing Era
Cool Jazz Era
Free Jazz Era
Identify two pre-swing big band leaders named in the section who were most influential in shaping features of “pre-swing” music during the 1920s.
Duke Ellington
Count Basie
Fletcher Henderson
Louis Armstrong
Charlie Parker
Fill in the blank: Duke (Edward Kennedy) Ellington created _______ forms and added interesting tone colors to pre-swing jazz.
extended
simple
random
short
Match each bandleader to the specific contribution described in the text.
Created extended forms and added tone colors; used mutes and wordless voice; co-founded a “Latin jazz” subset
Duke Ellington
Standardized the model rhythm section and relied on riffs; used head arrangements; occasional piano prominence
Count Basie
Increased the size of jazz ensembles and employed sectional writing
Fletcher Henderson
Which statement best explains how Count Basie’s approach to arranging differed from earlier New Orleans–style heterophony?
Basie emphasized multiple simultaneous melodies instead of riffs.
Basie removed the rhythm section entirely.
Basie used head arrangements built on riffs, with full band playing ostinato-like repetitions of a motif.
Basie only featured solo piano without band accompaniment.
Which of the following are two ways Duke Ellington expanded the form and timbre of pre-swing jazz, according to the text?
He used innovative orchestration and introduced new instrumental combinations.
He focused solely on solo piano performances and avoided large ensembles.
He limited his compositions to traditional jazz forms without experimentation.
He excluded brass instruments from his arrangements.
Identify the musician pictured and labeled as the cornet player in Fletcher Henderson’s band in 1925.
Louis Armstrong
Don Redman
Coleman Hawkins
Elmer Chambers
Which practice did Fletcher Henderson and his arranger Don Redman use to treat each section (woodwinds versus brass) as a harmonized unit?
Blue note voicing
Sectional writing or block voicing
Polyphonic improvisation
Modal interchange
Fill in the blank: Fletcher Henderson was one of the earliest bandleaders who increased the size of the ensemble, thereby creating the _______ that would eventually be a nickname for the later style.
“Big Band”
“Cool Jazz”
“Swing Set”
“Jazz Combo”
Match each individual with the specific role or description given in the text.
Bandleader who unintentionally started his career while assembling ensembles for a recording company
Fletcher Henderson
Arranger who worked closely with Henderson and developed sectional writing/block voicing
Don Redman
Trumpeter who recalled the difficulty of Henderson’s arrangements
Louis Metcalf
Saxophonist brought from Chicago whose energy influenced the band
Louis Armstrong
According to the analysis, what is a vamp in jazz as demonstrated in “The Stampede”?
A long improvised solo that concludes a piece
A short, repeated motif that often acts as an interlude until the next chorus begins
A sudden change in tempo used to transition to a new key
A rehearsal technique for practicing block voicing
Identify the musicians and instruments specifically mentioned as being heard on “The Stampede” (Listening Example 4). Choose all that apply.
Don Redman on clarinet
Coleman Hawkins on tenor saxophone
Joe Smith on cornet
Louis Armstrong on trumpet
Match each term from the analysis of “The Stampede” to its description or placement in the Listening Guide timeline.
Vamp
A short, repeated motif used as an interlude until the next chorus
Block voicing
Heard at 0:29 in the Chorus 1 descent by the Full Band
Call and response between sections
Occurs as a group feature at 0:33 and 0:41 in Chorus 1
Homorhythmic response
Appears at 0:46 and 0:48 by the Full Band
At 0:04 and 0:12 in the Listening Guide for “The Stampede,” which performer is featured and with which ensemble sections?
Rex Stewart with Woodwinds (WWs) and Rhythm Section (RS)
Benny Carter with Brass and Piano
Don Redman with Tuba and Banjo
Louis Armstrong with Full Band
Which of the following pairs correctly describes two distinct musical features and their approximate timestamps during Chorus 1 of “The Stampede”?
0:29 Block voicing during descent by Full Band; 0:33 Call & response between sections
0:15 Solo trumpet introduction; 0:20 Drum solo
0:41 Rising and falling pattern by Full Band; 0:10 Piano solo
0:46 Homorhythmic response by Full Band; 0:12 Saxophone improvisation
