Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on you answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions
When jazz began to lose its reputation as “low-down” music and to gain well-deserved acclaim among intellectuals, musicians began to feature many instruments previously considered inappropriate for jazz. Whereas before the 1950s, jazz musicians played only eight basic instruments in strict tempo, in this decade they started to improvise on the flute, electric organ, piccolo, accordion, cello, and even bagpipes, with the rhythm section composed for strings or piano. Big bands no longer dominated jazz, and most changes emerged from small combos, such as the Dave Brubeck Quartet and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. The Gerry Mulligan Quartet proved that a small, modern band could sound complete without a piano; the rhythm section consisted only of a set of drums and a string bass.
Jazz continued to move in new directions during the 1960s. Saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman led a quartet playing “free” jazz that was atonal. Pianist Cecil Taylor also conducted similar experiments with music, and John Coltrane included melodies from India in his compositions. In the 1970s, musicians blended jazz and rock music into fusion jazz which combined the melodies and the improvisations of jazz with the rhythmic qualities of rock ‘n’ roll, with three or five beats to the bar and in other meter. The form of jazz music was greatly affected by electric instruments and electronic implements to intensify, distort, or amplify their sounds. However, the younger musicians of the time felt compelled to include a steady, swinging rhythm which they saw as a permanent and essential element in great jazz.
The paragraph preceding this passage would most likely to describe ______
A. instruments used in jazz
B. instrumental pieces in jazz
C. jazz in the 1940s
D. the origins of jazz