Time Warps in Early Jazz

Abstract

Expressive timing can be viewed as a process whereby a rhythmic template is transformed into a new rhythm that departs from the underlying metric grid. In this paper I examine two types of transformation within the context of 1920s jazz. The Flux (F) transformation distorts the original rhythmic template by molding it into an acceleration, a deceleration, or a combination of these. The Shift (S) transformation changes the global tempo of the template. At the heart of these operations lies the concept of an anchor, an on-the-beat synchronization point between soloist and accompaniment that metrically grounds the transformation. Soloists use F and S—often in conjunction—to shape their rhythms and to control the level of tension/resolution in relation to the underlying beat.

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