This excerpt is a live recording of a jazz piano trio (piano, bass, drums) playing a well-known tune and then improvising their own melodies over the same harmonies. I want you to listen carefully to the rhythms the group is playing and try to identify moments where you “lose” the beat. It’s in 3/4 the whole time, but there are certain stretches where the rhythm seems to fall apart or is at least ambiguous. How are these moments created? What are the musicians doing individually and collectively to create such complex rhythmic structures. I strongly suggest using headphones as the bass playing is very delicate and you may not be able to hear it on computer speakers. Please write a brief (150-200) word paragraph that deals with the above question(s). You should write in continuous prose, i.e., not bullet points. You don’t need to systematically answer every question in the prompt. Rather, you should try to write clearly and intelligently about the music with those questions as jumping-off points for your thoughts.
