From Blues to Latin Just in Time

A rhythmic analysis

Authors

  • Eduardo Lopes University of Evora

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jazz.v2i1.55

Keywords:

Music Theory, Rhythm and Metre, Jazz Analysis

Abstract

Just in Time (Lopes, 2003) is an empirically devised rhythmic analytic model which assesses the operation and qualities of rhythm and metre, and their interaction with other parameters. This paper will investigate the operation of the durational parameters in the jazz standard ‘Unit Seven’ by Sam Jones, as performed by the Wes Montgomery Quartet (Verve 823 448-2, 1984). This piece was chosen for two basic reasons. First, its position as mainstream jazz allows an assessment of the rhythmic operation in a highly kinetic genre. Second, it includes a section in binary metre which provides different metric contexts in the same piece, therefore broadening the spectrum of the analysis. The consistent use of particular rhythmic constructions supports the arguments concerning the importance of the durational parameters in the kinetic quality and structural definition of a piece, while the assessment of the ongoing dialogue between pitch and durational parameters demonstrates the importance of the durational structure of music.

Author Biography

  • Eduardo Lopes, University of Evora

    Studied Drums and Percussion at the Rotterdam Conservatorium, The Netherlands. Holds a Bachelor Degree (Summa Cum Laude) in Performance and Composition from Berklee College of Music, USA, and a PhD in Music Theory from the University of Southampton, UK. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Music at the University of Evora, Portugal.

References

Bharucha, Jamshed, and John Pryor (1986) ‘Disrupting the Isochrony Underlying Rhythm: An Asymmetry in Discrimination’. Perception and Psychophysics 40: 137–41.

Cemgil, A., P. Desain and B. Kappen (2000) ‘Rhythm Quantization for Transcription’. Computer Music Journal 24/2: 60–76.

Cook, Nicholas (1998) Music: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Desain, Peter (1992) ‘Can Computer Music Benefit from Cognitive Models of Rhythm Perception?’ In Proceedings of the 1991 International Computer Music Conference, 42–5. Montreal: International Computer Music Association.

Dowling, Jay, and Dane Harwood (1986) Music Cognition. San Diego: Academic Press.

Drake, Carolyn (1998) ‘Psychological Processes Involved in the Temporal Organization of Complex Auditory Sequences: Universal and Acquired Processes’. Music Perception 16: 11–26.

Drake, Carolyn, and Marie-Claire Botte (1993) ‘Tempo Sensitivity in Auditory Sequences: Evidence for a Multiple-Look Model’. Perception and Psychophysics 54: 277–86.

Drake, Carolyn, Jay Dowling and Caroline Palmer (1991) ‘Accent Structures in the Reproduction of Simple Tunes by Children and Adult Pianists’. Music Perception 8: 315–34.

Drake, Carolyn, and Caroline Palmer (1993) ‘Accent Structures in Music Performance’. Music Perception 10: 343–78.

Foote, J., M. Cooper and U. Nam (2002) ‘Audio Retrieval by Rhythmic Similarity’. In Proceedings from the International Conference on Music Information Retrieval, 265–6. Paris: IRCAM.

Gabrielsson, Alf (1973) ‘Similarity Ratings and Dimension Analyses of Auditory Rhythm Patterns’. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 14: 138–60.

—(1974) ‘Performance of Rhythmic Patterns’. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 15: 63–72.

—(1982) ‘Perception and Performance of Musical Rhythm’. In Music, Mind and Brain: The Neuropsychology of Music, ed. Manfred Clynes , 159–69. New York: Plenum Press.

—(1987) Action and Perception in Rhythm and Music. Stockholm, Sweden: Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien.

Gjerdingen, Robert (1990) ‘Categorization of Musical Patterns by Self-organizing Neuronlike Networks’. Music Perception 7: 339–70.

Gouyon, Fabien (2005) ‘A Computational Approach to Rhythm Description’. PhD thesis, Department of Technology, University Pompeu Fabra.

Hainsworth, S., and M. Mcleod (2004) ‘Particle Filtering Appllied to Tempo Tracking’. Journal on Applied Signal Processing 15: 2385–395.

Honing, H. (2001) ‘From Time to Time: The Representation of Timing and Tempo’. Computer Music Journal 25: 50–61.

Jones, Mari (1987) ‘Dynamic Pattern Structure in Music: Recent Theory and Research’. Perception and Psychophysics 41: 631–4.

Koffka, K. (1935) Principles of Gestalt Psychology. New York: Harcourt and Brace.

Lerdahl, Fred, and Ray Jackendoff (1983) A Generative Theory of Tonal Music. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Lopes, Eduardo (2003) ‘Just in Time: Towards a Theory of Rhythm and Meter’. PhD thesis, Music department, University of Southampton.

Lopes, Eduardo, and Paulo Gaspar (2007) ‘Just in Time as a Scientific Interface Between Rhythm Composition and Performance’. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Performance Science 2007, ed. A. Williamon, 79–85.

Narmour, Eugene (1983) ‘Some Major Theoretical Problems Concerning the Concept of Hierarchy in the Analysis of Tonal Music’. Music Perception 1: 129–99.

Neda, Z., A. Nikitin and T. Vicsek (2003) ‘Synchronization of Two-mode Stochastic Oscillators: A New Model for Rhythmic Applause and Much More’. Physica A 321: 238–47.

Palmer, Caroline, and Carol Krumhansl (1990) ‘Mental Representations of Musical Meter’. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 16: 728–41.

Parncutt, Richard (1994) ‘A Perceptual Model of Pulse Salience and Metrical Accent in Musical Rhythms’. Music Perception 11: 409–64.

Povel, Dirk-Jan, and Peter Essens (1985) ‘Perception of Temporal Patterns’. Music Perception 4: 411–40.

Scheirer, E. D. (1998) ‘Tempo and Beat Analyis of Acoustic Signals’. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 103/1: 588–601.

Yeston, Maury (1976) The Stratification of Musical Rhythm. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Published

2008-09-26

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Lopes, E. (2008). From Blues to Latin Just in Time: A rhythmic analysis. Jazz Research Journal, 2(1), 55-82. https://doi.org/10.1558/jazz.v2i1.55