Jazz for aficionados

Monk.

Frogman ,

Technique , tone, control , improv , brains and wisdom , she’s got it all .  I assumed she was German but she was born in 1971 in rural Austria . Her Graz  conservatory is one of the best in Europe . Quite  unusual to find a Austrian who can speak German German as well as her .

A true MUSICIAN !

frog, can you talk about playing ahead of and behind the beat as I ask above?  Thanks.

Please forgive the self quoting, but I think my previous comments do a fair job of setting up a backdrop for understanding the issue:

**** Turn a metronome on....perfect time, but no feel. “Feel” is primarily where each player feels the pulse of music in relation to that potential absolutely perfect pulse. In real life music making there is, on either side (faster/slower) of those potentially “perfect” completely in control pulses, a certain amount of latitude before it sounds like simply bad rhythm. Where each player feels the pulse in relation to that potentially absolutely perfect pulse and how he is able to control and manipulate the subtle deviations from perfect (in either direction) is one of the most important things that determine HIS time feel. Some players play very behind the time and some very in front; and lots of in betweens. ****

When a good band (any number of musicians in ANY genre) plays the musicians set up a collective pulse for the music. Some call it the beat, the pulse, the time, the rhythm, the groove; although “groove” is a qualitative thing which describes how well the musicians are able to set up that collective pulse as not everyone will have the same idea of what the EXACT tempo and feel of the music should be. It takes at least a moment of musical interaction for everyone to “see” (hear) where each other is coming from musically. In a good performance there is enough agreement that the performance sounds and feels good. Enough, because you inevitably also have some degree of disagreement. While professionalism and love of the art mandates that there be musical give and take, some players may have a musical personality that is more dominant than that of others. A good player knows how to make that difference add to the music in a positive way.

When the leader of the group counts off the tune and the band comes in they start playing in the tempo that the leader counted off (or otherwise set up by playing). However, there is still that “latitude” on either side (slower/faster) of that tempo. Some will have a tendency to feel the beat ever so slightly ahead or behind that absolute tempo that the leader counted off. When a leader chooses a rhythm section he considers all that. He may want a drummer that takes charge and really drives the music forward by playing on the front side of the beat; or the bass player. This may give the piano player the freedom to be more relaxed or less obviously “rhythmic”. Some players are better at or are more willing to “bend” and compromise than others, but this may actually create a desirable kind of musical tension. This may all be the exact kind of seasoning that the leader or soloist likes best in his rhythmic soup. There is a tremendous amount of this kind of interplay that takes place.

Tony Williams is a drummer that plays on the front side of the beat; tremendous forward motion in his playing:

https://youtu.be/x_whk6m67VE

Elvin Jones played more behind the beat. Here it is Jimmy Garrison that is the dominant time keeper and Jones has the freedom to play around Garrison’s bass pulse:

https://youtu.be/td7RD6KLibU

Two of my very favorite tenor players. Dexter Gordon was infamous for playing behind the collective beat of the rhythm section. It could create tremendous musical tension. A good thing; certainly a valid thing. Johnny Griffin played much more in front of the beat creating an overall more forward even lighter feeling in the music. Griffin’s solo starts @ 6:19.

https://youtu.be/W9Cg9Ml3scg

Cannonball Adderley was another player that played very on the front of the beat for that very “up” vibe that he had in his playing. This is obvious in his solo, but listen closely to the three horn players playing the melody at the top of this classic recording. On those single notes that are the melody one can hear how Cannonball often places them just a hair earlier (front side) than Miles does. That was his musical tendency and personality:

https://youtu.be/k94zDsJ-JMU

Some examples that came to mind and I hope this helps clarify.