Cullum, Jamie (1979– )

English jazz pianist, singer, and composer. Known for his youthful energy and compelling stage presence, he performs a combination of jazz standards and originals, with some pop crossover pieces. His albums include Pointless Nostalgic (2001) and Twentysomething (2003). With the latter, he became the first British jazz artist to achieve a platinum album.

Pointless Nostalgic includes tracks with a seven-piece band, with horn arrangements written by Cullum, and features the original singles ‘I Want to be a Popstar’ and ‘Pointless Nostalgic’. The album Twentysomething features such jazz standards as ‘Singing in the Rain’ and ‘I Get A Kick Out of You’, as well as contemporary tunes such as Radiohead's ‘High and Dry’ and Jimi Hendrix's ‘Wind Cries Mary’. The original tracks were written by both Jamie and his brother Ben Cullum, and include ‘Twentysomething’, ‘All at Sea’, and ‘These are the Days’. He released the single ‘Everlasting Love’, which featured on the Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason soundtrack, in 2004.

Cullum taught himself to play guitar and piano before the age of ten, inspired by the exposure to a variety of musical genres from his brother. He graduated from the University of Reading Film and Drama course in 2001. He played hotels and pub concerts and self-produced his first CD, Jamie Cullum Trio – Heard it all Before, at the age of 19. He later set up a new trio with bassist Geoff Gascoyne and drummer Sebastiaan de Krom. He was signed by the Candid label, and after air time on BBC Radio 2, by Universal.