Jamie Cullum

Jamie Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, songwriter and radio presenter.

Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums.

He has recorded nine studio albums, three compilation albums, one live album and twenty-four singles.

It was released in 1999, with only 500 copies made.

The success of the album led to an invitation to appear on Geoff Gascoyne's album Songs of the Summer.

After graduating from Reading University, Cullum released his album Pointless Nostalgic (2002), which stirred interest from broadcasters Michael Parkinson and Melvyn Bragg.

Just after Cullum made his first television appearance, on Parkinson, in April 2003, he signed a £1m contract for three albums with Universal, who beat Sony in a bidding war.

Cullum's third studio album, Twentysomething, released in October 2003, went platinum and became the No. 1 selling studio album by a jazz artist in the United Kingdom.

Cullum ended 2003 as the UK's biggest selling jazz artist of all time.

Although primarily a jazz musician, Cullum performs in a wide range of styles and is generally regarded as a "crossover" artist, with his musical roots firmly based in jazz.

Cullum draws his inspiration from many different musicians and listens to an eclectic mix of music including Miles Davis.

A stomp box made from a small wooden block (not to be confused with an effect pedal for guitars) features in Cullum's concerts.

The box is used to amplify a musician's tapping foot.

Cullum found this in Melbourne, Australia and uses it to enhance upbeat and fast-paced songs such as "Seven Nation Army", originally by The White Stripes, and "Gold Digger", originally by Kanye West.

He also often uses a looping machine; this plays a major part in Cullum's versions of "Seven Nation Army" and "Teardrop" by Massive Attack.

Cullum also beatboxes at most gigs.

As well as The White Stripes and Kanye West, Cullum has performed work by Massive Attack, Pharrell, Rihanna, Pussycat Dolls, Radiohead, Gnarls Barkley, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Joy Division, Lady Gaga and many others.

He has performed with Deltron 3030, Kylie Minogue, Sugababes, will.i.am, Burt Bacharach and The Heritage Orchestra.

Recorded at London's Mayfair Studios and released in 2003, Twentysomething contains a mix of jazz standards, contemporary covers, and ballads.

Due to the acoustic nature of the music, producer Stewart Levine chose to record and mix Twentysomething entirely on analogue tape.

The album includes jazz standards "What a Diff'rence a Day Made", "Singin' in the Rain", and Cole Porter's "I Get a Kick out of You", modern takes on My Fair Lady "I Could Have Danced All Night", Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should Have Come Over", and Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary", as well as new tracks written by Cullum and his brother Ben, including the first single from the album All at Sea and the title track "Twentysomething".

Catching Tales has been released on double vinyl, as was the first single, "Get Your Way".

A limited edition version of the "Get Your Way" single was released on red vinyl.

Cullum has played at many large music festivals, including Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (in 2006, 2009 and 2015), Montreux Jazz Festival (2004, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2018), Glastonbury (2004, 2009 and 2017), New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (in 2005), Coachella (2005), South by Southwest (2004, 2006), North Sea Jazz Festival, the Hollywood Bowl (performing with the Count Basie Orchestra), the 2006 Playboy Jazz Festival, the 2007 Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival and the 2008 Monterey Jazz Festival.

On 30 April 2006 Cullum played his biggest-ever crowd on Queensday in the Netherlands.

Since April 2010, he has presented a weekly Tuesday evening jazz show on BBC Radio 2.

Cullum's Jewish father, whose own mother had fled Nazi Germany, was born in Jerusalem.

His mother's father was Indian and her mother was born in Burma.

Following the Japanese invasion, the family left Burma and moved to Wales, when his mother was aged five.

Cullum was born in Rochford, Essex, but was brought up in Hullavington, Wiltshire.

He failed his grade 4 piano exam, and by his own admission can barely read music.

At 15, after attending Grittleton House School, he went to Sheldon School in Chippenham.

He felt that he "was on a pathway" for a place at the University of Oxford; instead, he read English Literature and Film Studies at the University of Reading, "just down the road" from where he graduated with First-Class Honours.

Cullum produced his first album, Heard It All Before, with only £480.

In February 2012, Germany picked Roman Lob with "Standing Still", a composition by Cullum alongside Steve Robson and Wayne Hector, as their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.

In October 2014, Cullum appeared in a comedy sketch with Jimmy Carr and Daisy Lowe, which was made for Channel 4's The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night to raise awareness of testicular cancer.

On 30 April 2016, Cullum played at The White House in Washington, D.C., as part of the International Jazz Day Global Concert.

In January 2017, Cullum appeared as a member of the house band in ITV's The Halcyon.

On this album, Cullum created covers of old classics with new arrangements of Bob Dorough's composition "Devil May Care", Thelonious Monk's "Well You Needn't" and Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So".

The song as recorded by Cullum ("It Ain't Necessarily So") is also used in the film The Anatomy of Hate; A Dialogue to Hope by Mike Ramsdell.