This article will deal with time in its basic form, as applied to swing, bebop, gospel, Dixieland, Latin, rock, country & western or whatever. The basic principles will apply when playing any rhythmical style which requires a steady pulse. Time = Tempo. First of all, I’d like to clarify the word “time.” The word “time,” as used in the jazz vernacular, generally means “tempo,” i.e., “He/She has good time,” or “He/She has bad, sloppy or sad time.” I’m sure most of us have heard these words before, whether they have been referred to someone else or, at some point or other in our careers, either statement could have applied to ourselves. What is meant by “good time” is that one can keep a steady, swinging or funky groove or tempo/pulse. “Bad or sloppy time” refers to an erratic or unsteady pulse. Whose responsibility is it to keep the pulse steady? […]

June 1983 Issue