Blues & Jazz assignment #1
CIG pp. 153-165
name ______________
due date:
Directions: On separate paper, answer the following questions with short
responses. To earn full credit, the responses must be typed and have a proper
heading. There will be a significant point reduction if you write the responses by
hand. The page numbers are indicated in brackets. The answers to number one
are given as an example.
1) Deep in the American Soul: the Blues. Where did the blues originate? What
did it evolve from? Name several forms of popular music that were influenced
by the blues. [153]
 The blues originated in southern U.S.
 The blues influenced jazz, soul, rock, and hip hop (and more).
2) Understanding the Blues Form. Write in the names of the notes to a C blues
scale. Use a lower case ‘b’ to indicate a flat (i.e. Eb or Bb). [154]
 C Eb F Gb G Bb
CLASS ACTIVITY: Compose a twelve bar blues melody. Write out a four bar
melody; repeat this four bar melody; write the last four bars as a response to the
first melody. This is called a call and response form. It originated in Africa and was
developed by American slaves as field music. I will play modern call and response
examples for you.
3) How many measures are in the chord progression to most blues tunes? Using
Roman numerals, indicate the three chords used in a blues progression. [154]
 12 bars in the blue progression
 I,I,I,I IV,IV,I,I V7, IV,I,I
4) The Birth of Rural Blues. In which time period did the blues originate? What
was the main instrument that was used? What are blue notes?
 Post civil war
 guitar
5) The Hard Life of Delta Blues. Which common themes were described in the
lyrics of Delta blues? Name three famous delta bluesmen. (Note: Son House lived
in Rochester during the 1960s). [155]
 Robert Johnson, Son House, Charley Patton
6) The Modern Sound of Electric Blues. After World War II, which cities did the
blues migrate to? What impact did the electric guitar have? Name three bluesbased rock bands that emerged in the 1960s. [157]
7) Birth of the Beat: New Orleans and Dixieland Jazz. What musical styles did
New Orleans Jazz (a.k.a. Dixieland Jazz) grow out of? In this style, what did
musicians embellish? In this style, what does the term “four on the floor” refer to?
[158-159] CLASS ACTIVITY: Write the basic ragtime melodic rhythm which
consists of four groups of three 1/8 notes followed by two quarter notes or a rest.
Write the main melody to “In the Mood’ or “The Entertainer.”
8) Warming it Up with Hot Jazz. In the Hot Jazz style of the early New Orleans
period, which frontline instruments were involved in multiple improvisations?
Which trumpet player was featured in King Oliver’s band? [159]
9) The Ambassador of Jazz: Louis Armstrong. What were the names of the
revolutionary bands that Louis Armstrong recorded with during the 1920s?
Note: Louis Armstrong was the first important soloist in jazz because his
improvisations consisted of entirely new melodies instead of melodic
embellishments. He was is one the greatest innovators in jazz history
CLASS ACTIVITY: Listen to Armstrong’s recording of “Do You Know What it
Means to Miss New Orleans?” Write down the names of all the instruments you
hear.
10) Tickling the Ivories: Jelly Roll Morton and Jazz Piano. What did the New
Orleans piano style emerge from? What was the name of the left-hand bass style?
Who is generally considered the greatest New Orleans pianist? [161]
11) Taking the Country by Storm: Swing. When did Hot Jazz evolve into swing?
What did most jazz groups become? Whom did Swing music appeal to? Name two
famous singers of this period. [162]
12) The Count and the Duke. What was Count Basie’s band noted for? [163]
Note: Count Basie’s band played many hard driving blues based arrangements
that still sound fresh today.
When was Duke Ellington’s band formed? [163-164] Ellington’s orchestra served
as the house band for which New York City night-club? Name two famous Duke
Ellington songs. [164]
Note: Many of Duke Ellington’s songs appear in jazz “fake books”, collections of
lead sheets to hundreds of jazz songs. Ellington’s songs feature chord
progressions that are interesting to solo on; they are open to a wide range of
interpretations.
13) Gypsy/Manouche Jazz. When was Gypsy Jazz (a.k.a. Manouche Jazz)
popular? Which three musical styles were combined in Gypsy Jazz? Who was the
most famous guitarist of this era? Who was the most famous violinist of this era?
[165]
CLASS QUIZ ACTIVITY: Listen to a recording of Reinhardt and Grappelli and write
a description of the music as if your were writing it for the IB final exam.
Blues & Jazz assignment #2
CIG pp.165-173
name ______________
Directions: On separate paper, answer the following questions with short
responses. To earn full credit, the responses must be typed and have a proper
heading. There will be a significant point reduction if you write the responses by
hand. The page numbers are indicated in brackets.
1) Beyond Traditional Jazz: Bebop. When did Swing music decline in popularity?
What replaced it? [165] Describe bebop in terms of tempo and chord changes.
Which characteristics make Bebop chords complex? [top of 166] Name the
saxophonist and trumpeter who were the main leaders of Bebop’s development.
Describe the instrumentation of the typical Bebop ensemble. [166]
2) Chilling out: Cool Jazz. Blast from the Past: Modal Jazz. Why did Cool Jazz
develop? How was it different from Bebop? [166] Who wrote the song Take Five?
Why was Take Five unique? [166-167] Name two cool jazz trumpeters. Name two
cool jazz sax players. Name two cool jazz pianists. [167]
3) Blast from the Past: Modal Jazz. Which ancient civilization originally
developed the modes used in modal jazz? Which Medieval style of music
employed the used of modes? [167] Which Miles Davis album featured modal
improvisation?
4) Back to Bop: Hard Bop. How was hard bop different from both Bebop and
cool jazz? Name two hard bop sax players. Name two hard bop trumpeters. Name
one hard bop guitarist. Name one hard bop pianist. [167]
5) Going International: Brazilian and Latin Jazz. What is another name for the
Brazilian jazz style that originated in the 1960s? [167]
6) Getting Funky: Soul Jazz. Which musical elements did Soul Jazz incorporate?
Who was the most popular soul jazz organist? Who recorded Mercy, Mercy,
Mercy in 1966.
7) Rocking the Beat: Jazz/Rock Fusion. During the 1970s, which jazz elements
were combined in jazz/rock fusion? Which 1960s musical form inspired the
development of fusion? Name one trumpeter and two pianists that helped to
develop jazz/rock fusion?
8) Jazz’s Premiere Innovator: Miles Davis. When did Miles Davis from his first
jazz group? Which album did he release in 1950? Why was the album Round
Midnight significant? When was the album Sketches of Spain released and why
was it significant? What is the name of the best-selling jazz album of all time that
was released by Miles Davis in 1959? Which musical form did Miles Davis
embrace and help create in the late 1960s?
9) Parallel Developments: Comparing Blues and Jazz with Classical Music
Directions. Complete the chart below using the information on page 171.
This is a great exercise because it will help you create the links for your
musical links investigation.
Blues/Jazz
Simple melodies
Classical Music
Simple melodies
Accompanied melodies
Accompanied melodies
Multiple melodies
Multiple melodies
Popular melodies
Popular melodies
Sophisticated melodies
Sophisticated melodies
Stylistic explosion
Sophisticated melodies