The answer to your question depends on your definition of "perfect".

I believe the only way to even achieve perfect tempo, much less possess the ability to listen to a piece of music and accurately determine the exact tempo, is with a computerized click track or quantized drum track. Even a metronome might be off a millisecond from perfect due to it's mechanical limitations.

Having said that, I am sure some folks have a unique ability to get pretty close by listening to the music. But even recorded music is not always in a "perfect" tempo.

To illustrate my point - as a songwriter I often use software and hardware to create demos of my original compositions. I know that if I use a live drummer, no matter how good he is and even if he is playing to a click track, the drum track will sound more realistic and organic than if I use a quantized drum sample that plays in perfect time. Somehow the listener is able to perceive perfect tempo in a drum track (but won't be able to tell exactly what the bbm is) and it sounds artificial compared to the imperfect timing of the best real drummer.

In real life, since music is often played out of tempo (unless a click track or metronome is employed) or at an imperfect tempo at best, I don't know how valuable it would be for someone to be able to say "Stop the music - we are supposed to be playing this song at 160 bbm and you people are playing at 161 bbm - we need to slow it down a bit"! Just sayin .....

The answer to your question depends on your definition of "perfect".

I believe the only way to even achieve perfect tempo, much less possess the ability to listen to a piece of music and accurately determine the exact tempo, is with a computerized click track or quantized drum track. Even a metronome might be off a millisecond from perfect due to it's mechanical limitations.

Having said that, I am sure some folks have a unique ability to get pretty close by listening to the music. But even recorded music is not always in a "perfect" tempo.

To illustrate my point - as a songwriter I often use software and hardware to create demos of my original compositions. I know that if I use a live drummer, no matter how good he is and even if he is playing to a click track, the drum track will sound more realistic and organic than if I use a quantized drum sample that plays in perfect time. Somehow the listener is able to perceive perfect tempo in a drum track (but won't be able to tell exactly what the bbm is) and it sounds artificial compared to the imperfect timing of the best real drummer.

In real life, since music is often played slightly out of perfect tempo (unless a click track or metronome is employed) or at an imperfect tempo at best, I don't know how valuable it would be for someone to be able to say "Stop the music - we are supposed to be playing this song at 160 bbm and you people are playing at 161 bbm - we need to slow it down a bit"! Just sayin .....

If perfect means within a few bbm, then yes there are a few folks who can get pretty close.