Despite its short history, jazz music has been a rapidly changing, expanding, and evolving musical genre over the last century. The music is rich, uplifting, and ceaselessly inventive. Whether you are a true fan or want to learn more about it, check out the following 30 trivia jazz quiz questions and answers.
Jazz Quiz Questions And Answers
1. From which country did Jazz music and dance originate?
A. France
B. The United States
C. Spain
2. Which time period is known as The Jazz Age in which jazz dance and music quickly gained popularity in the United States?
A. 1900s
B. 1920s
C. 1940s
3. What are syncopations, a typical feature of jazz?
A. Off-beat music
B. A brass instrument
C. A slow mournful song
4. Which of the following are two different forms of jazz music?
A. Gospel and blues
B. Swing and boogie-woogie
C. Romantic and Baroque
5. Which of the following people is a great jazz singer and trumpeter?
A. Bob Marley
B. Elton John
C. Louis Armstrong
6. In which U.S city did jazz music first become popular?
A. New Orleans
B. Los Angeles
C. Boston
7. Which term was used interchangeably with jazz from the 1890s to the 1920s?
A. Blues
B. Ragtime
C. Swing
8. Which ethnic group in the United States heavily influenced the development of jazz music?
A. Asian American
B. African American
C. Hispanic and Latino American
9. Which of the following is NOT a common instrument often played in jazz?
A. Cello
B. Drums
C. Saxophone
10. Which of the following is an important part of jazz?
A. Slow tempo
B. Improvisation
C. High notes
11. When do people celebrate “International Jazz Day” each year?
A. February 28
B. April 30
C. August 30
12. Which U.S writer is credited with popularising and epitomising the Jazz Age with his well-known novel “The Great Gatsby”?
A. Ernest Hemingway
B. Mark Twain
C. F. Scott Fitzgerald
13. The first ever jazz recording was performed by which band?
A. The Original Dixieland Jazz Band
B. The Jazz Messengers
C. Modern Jazz Quartet
14. What was the name of the most famous jazz nightclub in the Harlem district of New York City where many prominent black jazz entertainers performed between 1923 and 1940?
A. Dizzy Club Coca-Cola
B. The Cotton Club
C. Terra Blues
15. The name of which animal is used to refer to a jazz musician?
A. A cat
B. A bird
C. A horse
16. Also called “the Divine One”, which famous jazz single quickly became a leading vocalist after winning an amateur singing competition?
A. Mamie Smith
B. Sarah Vaughan
C. Billie Holiday
17. The term “skins player” refers to which position in a jazz band?
A. Drummers
B. Saxophonists
C. Trombonists
18. Which laws facilitated the development of jazz music by driving classically trained black performers to play in clubs where they applied European musical techniques to blue music?
A. Nuremberg laws
B. Miscegenation laws
C. Jim Crow laws
19. The famous clarinettist Benny Goodman is often associated with which form of jazz?
A. Afro-Latin jazz
B. Swing jazz
C. Bop jazz
20. Which of the following is a jazz song?
A. Stand By Me by Ben E. King
B. Yesterday by the Beatles
C. Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra
21. Which composer wrote the jazz composition “Blood on the Fields”, which became the first non-classical work to win a Pulitzer Prize in music?
A. Wynton Marsalis
B. Joshua Redmond
C. Tito Puente
22. Which of the following is not the name of a jazz group?
A. Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven
B. Louis Armstrong and his All Stars
C. Louis Armstrong and his Jazz Buddies
23. Which musical instrument is typically known to “impersonate” jazz?
A. Saxophones
B. Trombones
C. Trumpets
24. Which of the following is the traditional form of jazz?
A. Gypsy jazz
B. Cool jazz
C. New Orleans jazz
25. The NBA basketball team of which U.S state is called the Jazzmen?
A. California
B. Utah
C. Louisiana
26. Which of the following comparisons is true about bebop and cool jazz?
A. Both jazz styles have a quite similar tone and tempos
B. Cool jazz has a lighter tone and relaxed tempos, while bebop has a more complex tone and fast tempos
C. Bebop has a lighter tone and relaxed tempos, while cool jazz has a more complex tone and fast tempos
27. Which form of entertainment contributed to the increasing popularity of jazz between the 1930s and 1960s?
A. Television
B. Radio
C. Computer
28. Which jazz musician ran for the U.S Presidency in 1964 and declared that he might rename the White House into the Blues House?
A. Count Basie
B. Dizzy Gillespie
C. Ornette Coleman
29. Which jazz musician made his professional recording debut in 1937 with the Jay McShann Orchestra?
A. Thelonious Monk
B. Charlie Parker
C. Duke Ellington
30. Which of the following is not a jazz dance?
A. Charleston
B. The Trot
C. Samba
What do you think about these jazz quiz questions and answers? We hope you have learned many interesting facts about this special type of music. For more challenges on the same topic, check out the following classical music quiz.
