Duke Ellington Quiz: Guess the Song & Test Your Trivia

A Duke Ellington quiz rewards ears that know the standard from the first chord. Guess the Duke Ellington song from the swing of 'It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)' and the hush of 'Mood Indigo' to the strut of 'Satin Doll', then test your trivia on the man who called his music American, not jazz. Place 'Take the A Train', written by Billy Strayhorn, as the band's signature theme, and find out how well you know the composer who treated the big band as a full concert orchestra.

Main genreBig-band jazz and American standards

Active1920s-1974 (peak 1930s to 1950s)

Real nameEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington

Best-known songs to guessTake the A Train, It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing), Mood Indigo, Satin Doll

Deep cuts fans missCaravan, Sophisticated Lady, In a Sentimental Mood, Cotton Tail

Eras in the quiz1930s swing, the 1940s Blanton-Webster band, the 1956 Newport comeback

Writing partnerBilly Strayhorn co-wrote much of the book, including the theme "Take the A Train"

Related artistsCount Basie · Glenn Miller · Bing Crosby

Quiz difficultyEasy on the signatures, hard on who really wrote the tune and the guess-the-year round

Start your solo quiz

Name as many tracks as you can from short audio clips. The faster you answer, the more you score.

10 questions4 answers each

Guess the Duke Ellington Song

'Take the A Train', 'It Don't Mean a Thing' and 'Mood Indigo' are the openings most players catch first.

Take the A Train

Mood Indigo

Satin Doll

Caravan

Sophisticated Lady

In a Sentimental Mood

Cotton Tail

It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Duke Ellington Trivia: Beyond Category

The Strayhorn credits, the Newport night that revived him, and the word he used instead of jazz.

✦'Take the A Train', the Ellington orchestra's signature tune, was composed by Billy Strayhorn around 1939-1940; Ellington first recorded it in 1941 and made it his theme. Strayhorn named it after a New York subway line up to Harlem.

✦'It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)' from 1932 helped popularize the word swing years before the Swing Era took its name.

✦Ellington resisted the jazz label and preferred to call his work American music, saving his highest praise, 'beyond category', for the musicians and pieces that rose above any genre.

✦He also liked to say there were only two kinds of music, good music and, as he put it, the other kind.

✦At the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, saxophonist Paul Gonsalves played a 27-chorus solo on 'Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue' that revived Ellington's career and landed him on the cover of Time.

✦'Caravan', co-written with trombonist Juan Tizol in 1936, became one of the most-recorded jazz standards and later featured in the film Whiplash.

How Well Do You Know Duke Ellington's Book?

The signatures are quick points; knowing who actually wrote them is where the lead changes hands.

The signatures casual players name first

'Take the A Train', 'It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)' and 'Mood Indigo' are the openings most people can place. These are the quick points before the deeper catalogue arrives.

The Strayhorn question, where superfans pull ahead

Many tunes filed under Ellington were written or co-written by Billy Strayhorn, including the band's own theme 'Take the A Train' and 'Satin Doll'. Naming the real author is what separates the fans.

Placing the era, from the Cotton Club to Newport

Ellington's arc runs from 1920s Cotton Club broadcasts through 1930s swing to the 1956 Newport festival comeback. A guess-the-year round can jump whole decades on him.

The standards other artists borrowed

'Caravan', 'Sophisticated Lady' and 'In a Sentimental Mood' became jazz standards covered endlessly, so a round may play someone else's version of an Ellington piece.

Duke Ellington Quiz FAQ

How does the Duke Ellington quiz work?

You hear a short piece of an Ellington recording and name it, then answer trivia across his signatures, his writing partnership with Billy Strayhorn, and the era each tune belongs to.

Which Duke Ellington songs are in the quiz?

Signatures like 'Take the A Train', 'It Don't Mean a Thing' and 'Mood Indigo', plus standards such as 'Caravan', 'Satin Doll' and 'Sophisticated Lady'.

Why is the Duke Ellington quiz tricky?

Several of his best-known tunes were written or co-written by Billy Strayhorn, and many are instrumentals, so there is no lyric to hand you the title.

Did Duke Ellington really write 'Take the A Train'?

No. His collaborator Billy Strayhorn composed it around 1939-1940; the Ellington orchestra first recorded it in 1941 and made it their signature theme.

Who was Duke Ellington?

Edward Kennedy 'Duke' Ellington (1899-1974), an American composer, pianist and bandleader who led his orchestra for around fifty years.

Is the Duke Ellington quiz free?

Yes. It is free to play on Songtrivia, with no account and no Spotify needed.

📚 Sources & methodology

Sources consulted

Wikipedia · AllMusic · Pitchfork · Billboard · Songtrivia editorial team.

Our methodology

Each topic is curated by a Quiz Master with category expertise. Selection crosses cultural impact, chart performance, recognition potential and era variety.