Alan Rock's Trivia

Q: The Flintstones was originally sponsored by whom? 

A: Winston cigarettes, and was intended for adults.

Q: When coming up with the Morse code, Samuel Morse  needed to know what letters were used most frequently in the English language so he did this by counting the number of letters in sets of printers type. What do you think was number one, two and three were? A: E, T, then A,I,O,N,S. (all about the same. Z was last with J,X & T rounding out the bottom.

Q: What male singer recorded a brilliant duet album with John Coltrane in 1963? Songs on the album include "Lush Life" and "They Say It's Wonderful". 

A: Johnny Hartman For my money, "John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman" is a must-own album. Hartman's vocals are smooth as silk, and Coltrane's playing is at its finest. One of the top 100 jazz albums of all-time, in my opinion.

Alan Rock's Trivia

Q: Who was the gal that worked long and hard hours on assembly lines during World War II. What was her nickname, which was even set to music in honor of her on recordings and during dances and other musical events?  

A: The wonderful gal who helped with the manufacture of aircraft and other equipment needed by our troops was Rosie the Riveter.

Q: Where was the first electric traffic light installed? 

A: The world's first electric traffic light signal was installed over 75 years ago in Cleveland, Ohio, at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street.

Q: In what year did Congress declare the Fourth of July as a national holiday?  

A: In 1870, the Fourth of July became a national holiday.

Q: How many milk or baby teeth does a child have?  

A: 20

Alan Rock's Trivia

Q: What was the name of Han Solo’s spaceship?   

A: The Millennium Falcon

Q: What country is credited with inventing paper money in the 9th century? 

A: China

Q: Which country grows more bananas than any other? 

A: India, followed by Uganda, China, Philippines, Ecuador.

Q: What was Edward Teach more commonly known as? 

A: Blackbeard

Alan Rock's Trivia

Q:What is the most visited destination in the U.S.? 

A: Orlando, which unfailingly breaks new ground with the number of visitors it welcomes each year, set another kind of record for 2014. With 62 million-plus visitors traveling here last year, Orlando has firmly cemented its position as the most-visited destination in the country

Q: What is the only state without a national park?  

A: Though it was the first of the United States, Delaware has no national parks.

Q: Arguably the most famous jazz recording of all time is 'Kind of Blue' by which famous trumpeter? 

A: Miles Davis

Q: How many pawns does each player begin the game with in chess? 

A: Eight

Alan Rock's Trivia

Q: Under what pseudonym did Agatha Christie write her romance novels? 

A: Mary Westmacott

Q:Outraged at the price of a Scrabble game, journalist Chris Haney decided there was big money in games. In 35 minutes he and buddy Scott Abbott invented what game?  

A: Trivial Pursuit, developed in Canada in 1979.

Q: In the Samuel Becket play, ‘Waiting For Godot’, when does Godot arrive?  

A: Never

Alan Rock's Trivia

Q:What television game show, which premiered in 1983, is a variation of the hangman game? 

A: "Wheel of Fortune" is the longest-running syndicated game show in U.S. television history.

Q:What is the city that is known as the "Birthplace of the American Baseball League?" 

A: The Republican House, a hotel in Milwaukee, became the birthplace of the American League on March 5, 1900.

Q: From the late 1950s on, the dominant popular music in the United States (and, increasingly, Europe) was rock and roll. Though much rock music was held in disdain by jazz purists, some accomplished jazz musicians began to explore integrating rock elements into their music in the late 1960s, occasionally reaching "crossover"popularity with new audiences. What name is usually to these jazz-rock efforts?

A:  Fusion. Probably the best-known pioneering fusion band was Weather Report, anchored by veteran jazz musicians Joe Zawinul (keyboards) and Wayne Shorter (saxophones). Though the music has produced its share of acknowledged masters, including Weather Report's bass guitar virtuoso Jaco Pastorius and guitarists John McLaughlin (of the Mahavishnu Orchestra), Pat Metheny, and Allan Holdsworth, it has also drawn criticism for diluting the core elements of both jazz and rock. It has been further critiqued as a gateway to the styles of smooth jazz (including Kenny G) and new age music, which are both routinely derided by jazz and rock critics alike. On the other hand, much of the best work done by jazz and rock legends Chick Corea and Jeff Beck, respectively, has been in the fusion idiom, and some of the more advanced fusion arrangements do rival those of Duke Ellington for aesthetic appeal.

Q: Another departure from the work of Parker and Gillespie was a style more closely identified with the West Coast. This jazz genre drew on the examples of Lester Young and Bix Beiderbecke, de-emphasizing blues elements in favor of crisper tones, as well as making great use of unusual, syncopated meters as opposed to more aggressive rhythms. What is this jazz style made popular by performers like Stan Getz,  Gerry Mulligan and Lee Konitz?  A: Cool Jazz Probably the most popular cool jazz tune is Dave Brubeck's "Take Five", featuring Paul Desmond on alto saxophone. This piece makes good use of a 5/4 meter, meaning the rhythm falls into alternating three and two beat clusters. Other musicians often classified as cool jazz include the Modern Jazz Quartet and Chet Baker.

Alan Rock's Trivia

Q: Which snack is the most popular? 

A: Potato chips #1, followed by chocolate, and cheese. Fruit placed fifth in the U.S., and vegetables eighth.

Q: Which nut comes from a hickory tree? 

A: Pecan

Q: In which decade was the typewriter invented? 

A: 1860

Q: In ‘Jack and the Beanstalk,’ why did the giant want to grind the bones of a Englishman? 

A: To make bread.