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Jamie Cullum

Jamie Cullum was born on August 20th, 1979 in Rochford, United Kingdom. Having weathered a non-stop, whirlwind schedule for the past two years, dynamic British singer, songwriter, and pianist Jamie Cullum could have easily taken some well-earned time off in 2005. The 26-year-old's Verve debut, Twentysomething, was a worldwide smash last year, selling over two million copies (including nearly 400,000 in the States) and garnering a Grammy nomination. But instead of cooling his jets and catching some ZZZs, Jamie kept doing what he loves best: Making music, and recording a new album, Catching Tales.

"I was so ready for it," Cullum recalls of crafting his sophomore set. The only way you get the energy to tour the world and do all the hard work is to love the music you make. I'd had two mad years but I was back at the place I remembered the best, which was just really wanting to do my music." The new album took shape at a brisk pace, reflecting his high levels of enthusiasm and inspiration: Cullum wrote enough material for nearly two albums in four months, then set to recording in Los Angeles and London, between April and June of 2005, with Stewart Levine (who also oversaw Twentysomething) producing.

The fourteen-song set begins with "Get Your Way," a strutting number featuring celebrated hip-hop DJ and producer Dan the Automator (Gorillaz, Handsome Boy Modeling School), which juxtaposes cascading ivories with bursts of brass and a fat, funky backbeat. But this aesthetic team-up isn't as unlikely as it might seem, provided one is familiar with Cullum's eclectic musical background. "I listen to a lot of very percussive music; I used to always drum on my desk at school. I've always listened to a lot of dance music, and I love hip-hop."

Alongside a beautiful cover of the Doves "Catch The Sun" ("They're one of my favorite British bands"), Jamie couples his trademark takes on choice standards ("I Only Have Eyes For You," "I'm Glad There Is You") with many self-penned tracks: The panoramic "London Skies"; "Photograph," a wise and wistful reflection on simple joys remembered. Sly humor once again plays a pivotal role in Cullum's originals, such as on the pointed parody "7 Days To Change Your Life," and "Nothing I Do," which offsets grouchy lyrical sentiments with animated rhythms and gossamer vocal harmonies.

"I wrote more this time, because I had the time, and I had the audience, and I wanted to," shrugs Cullum, reflecting on his increased number of songwriting credits on Catching Tales. "I also play standards, but when I made Twentysomething, not a lot of people were doing that. But it's become a little bit more popular in the last two years, so it immediately has less of an interest to me."

Not that he deliberately reacted against the increased popularity of revisiting the great songbooks, either. "I just had loads of ideas and loads of good songs floating around and I fancied doing them. I put as much of myself into the arrangement of a song as I do into the writing of one though. I just had this burning desire this time to want to write… but I would also think I failed if I didn’t get just as much of myself through an arrangement of someone else's song."

Catching Tales also features singer-songwriter Ed Harcourt, a collaborator on one of Jamie's own favorite new tracks, the sublime "Back To The Ground." "It's a classic touring song about when you get home and you readjust to life," he remembers. "We polished off a bottle of wine and jammed this blues song. He got on the guitar, I got on the Wurlitzer and we wrote the song within an hour. Ed was so inspirational, his impact is far more than just that one song, and I definitely want to continue to work with him."

Born in Essex, and raised in Wiltshire, Jamie Cullum was obsessed with all types of music from an early age: rock, hip-hop, acid jazz, blues. He discovered jazz as a teenager, via artists like Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis, but also showed an interest in the groundbreaking Steely Dan albums purchased by his brother Ben (who plays bass throughout Catching Tales). While studying English at college, he began working as a singer-pianist anywhere he could get a gig: on cruise ships, in pubs, even wedding receptions.

Here he crafted the explosive on-stage persona (captured on the 2004 DVD Live at Blenheim Palace) that would win him accolades in The New York Times and Variety in the years that followed. When Universal Classics & Jazz snatched up the rising talent in the spring of 2003, and sent him into the studio to make Twentysomething, he was ready for the rigors �" and joys �" that waited ahead.

With Catching Tales, Jamie Cullum continues to redefine where the parameters of pop, and jazz �" indeed, all musical genres �" are drawn. "At first I didn't think certain songs had a place in what I was doing with jazz, but I've realized that everything does, and that reaffirms my belief that jazz is the greatest platform to do whatever you want. People ask why I play jazz. It's because you can take it to so many different places. You can embrace dance music, rock, pop music, classical, funk, everything… And I touch on all those things in this record."

"This is a better representation of what I am and what I want to be as a musician," he concludes. "The way I like to approach music is to mix things round and, fortunately, I like to mix it with things that people find a bit more familiar. I love pop music so I mix jazz and pop music. Not because I want to make it accessible but because it’s music that I enjoy. I guess I've just got an angle on it that people find a bit more interesting."
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Jamie Cullum and Joss Stone at Stuttgart Jazz Open 2018

by Phillip Woolever
July 22, 2018

Jamie Cullum and Joss Stone Schlossplatz Stuttgart Jazz Open Stuttgart, Germany July 19, 2018 The Stuttgart Jazz Open was seeking special things to commemorate the festival's 25th anniversary edition. With a double bill featuring Jamie Cullum and Joss Stone, that goal was accomplished to the delight of a dancing, sellout crowd. Cullum is one of the most dynamic players in any genre. His two-hour extravaganza showcased why he remains one of the ...

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Interview

Jamie Cullum: Mad About Music

by Katrina-Kasey Wheeler
January 2, 2007

Jamie Cullum is an innovator and an artist whose music speaks to a new generation of music fans and jazz enthusiasts alike. The title track from Twentysomething (Verve Forecast, 2004) is much like an anthem for this new cohort of music fans. He is a consummate musician and his passion for his art is clear, repeatedly showcased by his skilled improvisation and the clever lyrics of his compositions which set him apart from any artist of his kind. There is ...

Interview

Interview: Jamie Cullum

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 23, 2015

I love writing the “Track Record" column for Wall Street Journal/Europe, which is based in London. The point of the column is to interview artists to see what obscure albums most influenced them. There are always surprises, and I'm constantly being turned on to music that escaped my radar. Case in point is my interview with jazz singer-songwriter and pianist Jamie Cullum in today's “Off Duty" section of the Europe edition (go here). My challenge to Cullum was tell me ...
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Performance / Tour

Jamie Cullum, The UK's #1 Jazz Artist, Announces US Headline Tour In Support Of New Album, "Interlude," Out January 27, 2015 On Blue Note Records

Source: Michael Ricci
December 17, 2014

RUN INCLUDES JANUARY 24 SHOW AT LARGO IN LOS ANGELES AND FEBRUARY 5 CONCERT AT NYC’S BEACON THEATRE CULLUM WILL OPEN FOR BILLY JOEL IN NYC, DALLAS AND MIAMI BEGINNING TODAY ON ITUNES, FANS WHO PRE-ORDER INTERLUDE WILL INSTANTLY RECEIVE THE NEW TRACK, “MY ONE AND ONLY LOVE,” PLUS “GOOD MORNING HEARTACHE” FEATURING LAURA MVULA AND “DON’T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD” FEATURING GREGORY PORTER New York, NY: Blue Note Records recording artist Jamie Cullum will kick off 2015 with a ...
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Music Industry

Blue Note Records Welcomes Jamie Cullum to the Family

Source: Michael Ricci
September 20, 2014

Blue Note Records Welcomes Jamie Cullum to the Family Special NYC shows September 29 to preview his upcoming album INTERLUDE Also opening for Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden Blue Note Records is proud to announce that they’ll be the new US home of British jazz star Jamie Cullum and all will have a chance to celebrate together as Blue Note welcomes the celebrated song-writer and musician to New York, where he will give a special sneak preview to his ...
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Event

Jamie Cullum to Perform Two Sets at CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival

Source: Carolyn McClair Public Relations
May 27, 2010

JAMIE CULLUM and GRACE KELLY KICK-OFF CAREFUSION NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL* FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 8:00 PM, INTERNATIONAL TENNIS HALL OF FAME at NEWPORT CASINO

Cullum Also to Perform at Fort Adams State Park on August 7

Sneak Preview: Jamie Cullum to Perform on The Bachelorette on ABC - Monday, May 31, 8:00pm

NEWPORT, RI -- British singing and piano sensation Jamie Cullum brings his eclectic mix of jazz, pop and rock-influenced music to the opening ...
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Interview

Jamie Cullum and All That Jazz

Source: Michael Ricci
April 13, 2010

SINGAPORE: UK singer Jamie Cullum has released five critically acclaimed albums so far and was even nominated for Best Original Song for his work on Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood's 2009 film “Grand Torino". That would be the boring way to describe Cullum (though it is all true). But who is the man behind the music? Cullum is best described by the word 'spontaneous'. The 31-year-old just goes with the flow when it comes to picking which song he would cover ...
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Recording

Jamie Cullum Releases "The Pursuit" & Upcoming US Tour Dates

Source: Michael Ricci
February 1, 2010

JAMIE CULLUM LAUNCHES “ONE MAN BRITISH INVASION" OF AMERICA

GOLDEN GLOBE & GRAMMY NOMINEE ANNOUNCES MARCH TOUR DATES AND RELEASE OF NEW ALBUM THE PURSUIT ON MARCH 2, 2010

English singer/songwriter/pianist/multi-instrumentalist Jamie Cullum, who has been dubbed “a one man British invasion" (Hollywood Reporter), has announced a series of US tour dates to coincide with the U.S. release of The Pursuit on March 2, 2010. The album is Cullum's third for Verve Records and his first in four years. It ...
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Performance / Tour

Jamie Cullum to Perform Sunday, March 14 at Roberts Orpheum Theater

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
December 1, 2009

This just in: British singer/songwriter/pianist Jamie Cullum (pictured) will return to St. Louis on Sunday, March 14 to perform at the Roberts Orpheum Theater downtown.As of right now, tickets are available only as premiums from local PBS affiliate KETC (Channel 9), which is airing Cullum's special Live at Blenheim during its current pledge drive. Cullum's last appearance here in March 2006 also was welcomed by KETC.A $120 contribution to KETC will get you two tickets to ...
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Interview

Jamie Cullum on Fame, Fortune and All That Jazz

Source: Michael Ricci
October 30, 2009

Jamie Cullum is telling me that he never dreamt of success on this scale. He is outlining the upcoming tours of the UK, France, the US, Japan, Australia and, oh, pretty much most of the known world, that will accompany the anticipated multimillion sales of his new album. “I honestly, honestly never thought it would pan out like this," says the 30-year-old singer who, looking tanned and fit, radiates a mix of easy charm and brittle energy. “When I started ...
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Recording

Jamie Cullum to Release "The Pursuit" on March 2, 2010

Source: Michael Ricci
September 28, 2009

FIRST SOLO RECORD IN FOUR YEARS Verve Records is very excited to announce the release of Jamie Cullum's first solo record in four years. The record is called The Pursuit and is being released March 2, 2010. It's Cullum's fifth record in a genre-defying career that has entertained an ever-growing fanbase across the globe since his first Verve record was released in 2002. The title of the record is taken from Nancy Milford's classic novel, The Pursuit of Love, and ...
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Music Industry

Jamie Cullum Supports UNICEF's Water and Sanitation Campaign

Source: All About Jazz
June 12, 2009

Jazz singer and songwriter Jamie Cullum recently travelled to Ethiopia to witness UNICEF's work in the areas of health, nutrition, HIV and AIDS, child protection and water and sanitation. During Jamie's busy visit, he saw the impact HIV and AIDS is having on young people in Addis Ababa and in rural Ethiopia. He also saw UNICEF's nutrition work, which is particularly crucial as food and livelihood analyses forecast a severe humanitarian crisis in 2009. “Sadly, a child born in Ethiopia ...
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