A compact disc containing the audio examples cited throughout the text is available at the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT), 1750 Arch Street, Berkeley, CA 94720, (510) 643-9990 x 300. However, the text is understandable without this supplementary material. All musical selections are small excerpts from original recordings, unless otherwise indicated. Selections in parentheses were created by the author.
| Track# | chapter | page # | artist or (example) | title |
| 1. | Ch. 2 | 17 | Art Tatum | "This Could Be Love" |
| 2. | Ch. 3 | 21 | James Brown | "Give it Up or Turn it Loose" |
| 3. | Ch. 4 | 37 | Thelonious Monk | "Misterioso" |
| 4. | "Let's Call This" | |||
| 5. | "Four in One" | |||
| 6. | Charlie Parker | "52nd Street Theme" | ||
| 7. | Thelonious Monk | "Monk's Point" | ||
| 8. | "Light Blue" | |||
| 9. | "Gallop's Gallop" | |||
| 10. | "Trinkle, Tinkle" | |||
| 11. | Ch. 4 | 48-49 | John Coltrane | "Spiritual" |
| 12. | Ch. 4 | 50 | Anlo Ewe drumming | kaganu pattern |
| 13. | Ch. 4 | 52 | Cecil Taylor Orchestra | rehearsal excerpt |
| 14. | Ch. 4 | 58 | Eric Dolphy | "Out There" |
| 15. | Ornette Coleman | "Check Out Time" | ||
| 16. | Miles Davis | "In a Silent Way" | ||
| 17. | James Brown | "Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothing" | ||
| 18. | De La Soul | "Down Syndrome" | ||
| 19. | De La Soul | "Wonce Again Long Island" | ||
| 20. | Busta Rhymes | "Do My Thing" | ||
| 21. | Ch. 4 | 63 | Duke Ellington | "Diminuendo & Crescendo in Blue" |
| 22. | John Coltrane | "Chasing the Trane" | ||
| 23. | Aruna Sayeeram | "Mahaganapatim" | ||
| 24. | Ch. 4 | 64 | James Brown | "Get Up (I feel like being a) Sex Machine" |
| 25. | John Coltrane | "Transition" | ||
| 26. | Ch. 4 | 65 | T. Monk feat. Coltrane | "Trinkle, Tinkle" |
| 27. | Ch. 4 | 69 | Ahmad Jamal | "Poinciana" |
| 28. | Ch. 5 | 79 | Los Muñequitos | "Fundamento Dilanga" |
| 29. | James Brown | "I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing" | ||
| 30. | Ch. 5 | 89-90 | (Anlo-Ewe bell pattern) | |
| 31. | (Yoruba bell pattern) | |||
| 32. | (other bell pattern) | |||
| 33. | (Yoruba bell pattern, grouped) | |||
| 34. | Ch. 5 | 90 | (3:4 composite rhythm) | |
| 35. | Ch. 5 | 92 | (RTP examples) | |
| 36. | Ch. 5 | 100 | Mustapha Tettey Addy | "Oshika" |
| 37. | Ch. 6 | 111 | Los Muñequitos | "Oyelos de Nuevo" |
| 38. | Ch. 6 | 112 | (asynchrony part 1) | |
| 39. | (asynchrony part 2) | |||
| 40. | Ch. 6 | 113-114 | (streaming part 1) | |
| 41. | (streaming part 2) | |||
| 42. | Ch. 6 | 115 | (spreading part 1) | |
| 43. | (spreading part 2) | |||
| 44. | Ch. 6 | 116 | John Chowning | vibrato & auditory scene analysis demo |
| 45. | Ch. 6 | 118 | (swing part 1) | |
| 46. | (swing part 2) | |||
| 47. | Ch. 6 | 118-119 | (backbeat part 1) | |
| 48. | (backbeat part 2) | |||
| 49. | Ch. 6 | 121 | Thelonious Monk | "I'm Confessin'" (complete) |
| 50. | Ch. 6 | 122 | excerpt of same | |
| 51. | Ch. 6 | 123 | Ahmad Jamal | "But Not for Me" (complete) |
| 52. | Ch. 6 | 124 | excerpt of same | |
| 53. | Ch. 9 | 142 | John Coltrane | "Chasing the Trane" |
| 54. | Ch. 9 | 144 | Busta Rhymes | "Dangerous" |
| 55. | Ch. 9 | 145 | Squarepusher | "Journey to Reedham" |
| 56. | Ch. 9 | 145 | Terminator X | "Vendetta... The Big Getback" |
| 57. | Ch. 9 | 146 | Miya Masaoka | live duo with pianist Vijay Iyer |
| 58. | Ch. 9 | 147 | David Wessel | live duo with vocalist Shafqat Ali Khan |
| 59. | Ch. 9 | 147 | George Lewis | "Voyager Duo II" |
| 60. | Ch. 9 | 148 | Madonna | "Frozen" |
| 61. | Ch. 9 | 148 | James Brown | "Please, Please, Please" |