The Native Americans had an idea of continuity. They believed in sort of a continuum in music. It is a head scratcher at first, but after listening to it for a little while. You can hear what they are doing, they play just quarter notes, but a whole group of them together they play on and around that beat. They do the same with their vocals and melodies, singing in unison sometimes singing with more of spread and vibratto.
If you are thinking about micro placements of quarter notes, I would think you could swing that