I followed a circuitous path to this degree, and it would not have been possible without the tremendous support and guidance of the dissertation committee members. Since I met Professor David Wessel, he has been a wonderful friend, colleague, and mentor, as well as a fellow avid music buff. When I left physics in 1994 and was casting about in search of a career, he graciously took me on and introduced me to many exciting new ideas. It was his consistently innovative vision that led to the construction and execution of this interdisciplinary program. As is the case with his direction of the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT), my degree program exemplifies Professor Wessel's extraordinary ability to create novel, nurturing environments for new kinds of research. I am extremely fortunate and grateful to have enjoyed the benefits of his brilliance and generosity.

Professor George Lewis is a similarly visionary and inspiring individual. In addition to his awesome prowess as an improvising trombonist, he has initiated and facilitated a remarkable variety of interdisciplinary discourses on improvised music through his teachings and writings. A pioneer improvisor, computer musician, theorist, and composer, not to mention an astute cultural critic, Professor Lewis has influenced my thought profoundly both as an artist and an academic. His clear guidance, advice, and friendship have proven invaluable throughout this process, and I especially thank him for his help with the manuscript itself. I also thank Professor Olly Wilson for instilling in me a true appreciation for the continuity between West African and African-American cultures. This notion became the foundation for the thrust of this work, and for that I am indebted to him. In addition, I am thankful for his input in the initial stages of the application process for this interdisciplinary program, and for his deft leadership of the qualifying exam. Overall he has been a source of wisdom and common sense not just in terms of content, but also with regards to negotiating the bureaucratic hurdles. Professor Ervin Hafter has served as my scientific conscience throughout this endeavor. I learned a great deal by observing his methods of inquiry in the hearing-sciences seminar. In terms of my own work, his commitment to rigor and his high standards kept me on my toes, but his generous spirit and his respect for my ideas saved me from getting raked over the coals. For his input and supportive comments I am extremely grateful. Professor Don Glaser has shown great open-mindedness and warmth over these few years. I am truly honored to have interacted with a scientific mind of his caliber, a Nobel laureate who has been on the cutting edge of a number of disparate research fields. Like the others on this committee, he is an eminent renaissance man with a wide range of interests, and has served as an inspiration for me.

At CNMAT in 1995-96 we had an ongoing discussion group in rhythm. One of the central individuals in this group was the bassist, composer, and computer scientist Jeff Bilmes. Jeff has influenced my work in profound ways, both as an artist and as a scientist. Some of the work here used his MIT masters thesis as a foundation, and my quartet from 1995 to 1997 featured his bass playing as a different sort of foundation. We have had a number of heated but productive arguments over the years about how best to articulate and represent these musical ideas that we hold intuitively to be self-evident. Matt Wright also took part in the rhythm research group and blessed us with a wonderful down-to-earth approach and utmost clarity. I wish also to thank CNMAT and its people for indulging me with space, support, and friendly vibes. The people include Adrian & Eleanor Freed, Sami Khoury, Cyril Drame, Amar Chaudhary, Ron Smith, and Edmund Campion, who was the other half of an interesting series of exploratory two-piano improvisations. I especially thank CNMAT administrators Richard Andrews and Leslie Delehanty for keeping the U.C. bureaucracy at bay and for making sure the checks came in on time. I am extremely grateful to Gibson Guitars, whose financial support via CNMAT made this entire effort possible.

In forming the ideas in this work, I have drawn a great deal from my experiences as a professional musician. Among the most important influences in this part of my life over the last four years is saxophonist Steve Coleman. In our many lengthy discussions, emails, and musical interactions, we exchanged a vast amount of information on a wide range of subjects. He helped direct and focus my thinking on rhythm (particularly on the notion of "feel"), improvisation, and intuition. His input has been as important as that of any of the committee members. I also wish to thank all the musicians I have worked with since 1992, including Liberty Ellman, Elliot Humberto Kavee, Jeff Brock, Brad Hargreaves, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Derrek Phillips, Will Power, Mohammed Bilal, Simone White, DJ Pause, Miya Masaoka, E. W. Wainwright, Robert Rhodes, Eric Crystal, Aaron Stewart, Sean Rickman, Anthony Tidd, Chander Sardjoe, Rahsaan Fredericks, Devin Hoff, J. D. Parran, Kevin Ellington Mingus, Kash Killion, Francis Wong, Harold Lee Yen, D Armous Boone, John Tchicai, Cecil Taylor, and many, many others. All of my musical collaborations have influenced my thinking for this thesis. I was fortunate to have a few colleagues in the field of music perception and cognition who were willing to discuss my work, including Ed Large and Bruno Repp.

Before I began this program, I enjoyed a healthy two years in the physics department. During this time I benefited from the wisdom and guidance of the late Professor Leo Falicov, the warmth and kindness of the department employees Anne Takizawa, Donna Sakima, and Mercy Wang, and important friendships with Lorin Benedict (with whom I enjoyed many extracurricular activities) and Rob Carpick. I also thank Professor Alan Portis for accomodating me as his GSI during my transition year.

I thank my immediate family (Raghu, Sita, Pratima, and Kurt) for being extremely supportive throughout this process. It is probably because of my parents that I did not leave graduate school entirely in 1994; it is also thanks to them that I had the perseverance to try something off the beaten path. My sister helped to remind me of who I was during my California years; I might have lost my moorings without the luxury of laughing and commiserating with her. I thank Kurt for his exemplary groundedness and stability.

And most importantly, I have no idea what would have become of me had it not been for one charmed moment in Sproul Hall when I met Christina Sunita Leslie. The time since then has brought countless moments of pure, unspeakable joy, which managed to ease the lengthy gestation of twin doctorates. For her immeasurable understanding, emotional support, companionship, balance, depth, and ongoing dedication to our life together, I will always feel utterly blessed.