This driving style of piano-playing bridged the gap between ragtime and swing in New York during the 1920s and '30s. The sound is characterised by a left-handed four-beat pulse, alternating between a bass note and a mid-range chord, while the right hand plays heavily syncopated, largely improvised melodies. Stride anticipated swing with its rhythmic elasticity, broad harmonic exploration, use of blues forms and an embrace of popular tunes of the day. James P. Johnson was its main progenitor, penning some of its most enduring themes, including “The Charleston”, which became a dance craze in the '20s. Pianists like Willie “The Lion” Smith and Fats Waller followed closely, pushing the transitions toward jazz with less overt syncopation and more fluid rhythmic thrust. While the style became the province of revivalists by the '40s, relentlessly original pianists like Thelonious Monk, Jaki Byard and Jason Moran adapted it for their own means decades later.