Trivia Archive

October 2003 Sax Trivia Contest

Be sure to check out the current Saxquest trivia contest.

Prizes:

Olegature Ligature - your choi ($ 82.00 value)
Saxquest Gift Certificate ($ 10.00 value)

Winner

paul baylis from prestwich, 00--- GB

Contest background

Its a jazz tradition that as players gain popularity and respect from their colleagues they also acquire one or more street-names. Below is a list of players as they are informally known:

Newk
Zoot
Pres
Bean
Mex
Chu
Cannonball
Rabbit

Contest Question

Who are these musicians by real name and how did they acquire their street-names? If you dont know them all, thats fine. The winner will be selected as the person with the most number of correct answers (1 point awarded for each correct real name and 1 point awarded for each correct reason).

Correct Answer

Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins - "Newk" because of his resemblance to Dodgers' pitcher Don Newcombe. Jack "Zoot" Sims - "Zoot" after he stood behind a music stand with the word zoot painted on it. Lester Willis Young - "Pres" or "The President" comes from his good friend Billie Holiday who thought that he was, indeed, the "president" of saxophone players. Coleman Hawkins - "Bean" because he came from Boston or "Beantown", as it was known. Paul Gonsalves - "Mex" by some people who believed that this descendant of Cape Verdeans was Mexican. Leon Berry - "Chu" Berry resembled a character from a musical called "Chu Chin Chow." Julian Edwin Adderley - Actually, Adderley's original nickname was "Cannibal" because of his eating habits. "Cannonball" is merely a bastardization of "Cannibal" and is still a good fit. Jonhy Hodges - According to Harry Carney, Hodges was called "Rabbit" because he loved lettuce and tomato sandwiches. Another realiable source said that "Rabbit" resulted from Hodges quick trips up to a room and back at brothels.

Where You Could Have Found The Answer

Jazz Nicknames

Thankis to everyone for playing the October/November Saxquest trivia contest.