The Tight-interlocked Rhythm Section: Production and Perception of Synchronisation in Jazz Trio Performance

Area of Science:

• Music Cognition
• Auditory Perception
• Jazz Performance Studies

Background:

• Jazz performance relies on complex interplay of timing, synchronisation, and dynamics.
• Understanding listener preference for rhythmic variations is crucial for music cognition research.
• Previous studies often focus on individual timing rather than ensemble synchronisation in jazz.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the production and perception of timing, synchronisation, and dynamics in jazz trio performances.
• To determine listener preference for different levels of rhythmic asynchrony in jazz music.
• To explore the perceptual threshold for timing variations in jazz rhythm sections.

Main Methods:

• Production experiment: Recording jazz trios (saxophone, bass, drums) performing popular jazz songs.
• Analysis of onset timing and dynamics for each performer.
• Perception test: Participants rated manipulated jazz excerpts with varying degrees of asynchrony.

Main Results:

• Drummer timing significantly influenced overall tempo; all performers exhibited higher temporal precision on backbeats.
• Drummers displayed individual swing-ratios and intrapersonal asynchronies, with hi-hats played slightly ahead of the pulse (2-26 ms).
• Listeners preferred stimuli with reduced asynchronies (< 19 ms) over original or fully quantized versions.

Conclusions:

• Listeners favour a 'tight-interlocked' jazz rhythm section with subtle, natural timing variations.
• Perceptual threshold for temporal masking allows for natural variability while maintaining rhythmic coherence.
• Subtle asynchronies are essential for distinguishing human jazz performance from computer-generated playback.