Question

Jazz is a type of music. Some people say that jazz is America's only true art form. That's because it began here. Hundreds of years ago, black people worked as slaves (奴隶) and made up songs to pass the time. It wasn't called jazz then, but the way the slaves were playing and singing music was special.

The music of America's black people began to be called jazz in the early 1900s.

What makes jazz special is improvisation (即兴创作). That means making the music up on the spot (当场). No music in front of you. No long discussion with other people in your band.

"It's free. It's beautiful," says Geoffrey, a sixth-grader at Stratford Landing Elementary School. Geoffrey is such a good musician that he has performed at the Kennedy Center.

Geoffrey says, "It's easy to express your feelings through jazz. You are more focused on being creative and using your imagination in jazz."

Washington DC is a very important place in the history of jazz. It has a famous jazz piano player: Duke Ellington.

Born in Washington in 1899, Ellington as a child wanted to play baseball instead of the piano. But his parents played the piano, so he started playing the piano when he was seven years old.

In 1920, he played small shows at the Howard Theatre. When he was 24, he moved to New York, but he didn't forget his hometown. He called his band the Washingtonians and later he returned to perform at the Lincoln Theatre.

1.Did the music of America's black people begin to be called jazz in the early 1900s?

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2.What does jazz improvisation mean?

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3.What should you focus on when you play jazz according to Geoffrey?

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4.Who is Duke Ellington?

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5.What is the main idea of the passage?

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Answer 1