The Grounded Conductor 2: Conducting for Jazz and Pop Artists

When jazz and pop artists work with an orchestra, it’s often an experience that’s both unfamiliar and high-stakes: a broadcast performance, a high-profile concert or a time-pressured recording session. So a conductor has to adapt quickly to meet a wide range of needs. As 'The Grounded Conductor’ continues, Timothy Henty talks to jazz singer Claire Martin among other special guests about what it takes to conduct non-classical music.

[awmperry]

Lovatt’s remarks on swing are exactly what I - as a primarily jazz musician - always find difficult when I listen to orchestras playing jazz. I recall recently looking for orchestral versions of a song (the swing break in Sleigh Ride, I now remember), and the vast majority played the swing rhythms so mechanically that it became uncomfortable to listen to.