Comments on: Another Quiz

By: Al

Al — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:00:31 +0000

Thanks. The Eldridge answer is interesting, because he did do a fairly famous Blindfold test in Downbeat in 1951, although I don’t think it was the first one. Eldridge was on record as claiming he could easily distinguish between black and white musicians. So Feather tried him out. Turns out, Eldridge had no clue. At one point he famously said: “They could be Eskimos for all I know.”

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:30:51 +0000

Not at all. These quizzes are great!

By: Al

Al — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:17:03 +0000

Hi, Jason. It was not a trick question, just a very poorly worded question. I meant to ask who was the subject of the first Blindfold Test in 1946? And you are correct. That was Mary Lou Williams and it was in Metronome. Congratulations. By inadvertently adding the word “Downbeat” I asked a question to which I do not know the answer. I am embarrassed. I know that the first Downbeat Blindfold Test was in March 1951, but I haven’t been able to get the name of the first subject. I’m hoping someone in the audience can help us out – otherwise I’m going to have to march over to my storage place where I have boxes of Downbeats buried 12-deep and I’m going to have to pray that,somewhere in there I can find the full set of March 1951 issues. I had a feeling these quizzes were a bad idea. –al

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:20:11 +0000

Is this a trick question? Leonard developed the concept first for Metronome, so that would have been Mary Lou Williams. The first for Downbeat, would have been (not certain) Roy Eldridge?

By: Al

Al — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:53:38 +0000

Rudolf guessed George Shearing on another post. That is not correct, but a good guess. Any other guesses? I’ll post a couple of clues later today if no one gets it.