[Dixielandjazz] Jamie Cullum

[John Farrell]

Cullum is a market man's dream, two of his greatest assets are that he is
young and good looking - I doubt if a 60+ old git doing exactly the same
material as he would make it with today's TV obsessed CD buying public. I've
given him a fair amount of objective listening but find that his tinselly
style doesn't do very much for me.

John Farrell
http://homepages.tesco.net/~stridepiano/midifiles.htm

----- Original Message -----
From: "PJ Ladd" <pj.ladd at btopenworld.com>
To: "jazz" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2003 11:34 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] audiences


Hi all,
about playing were the kids are.
We have a phenomenon here in the UK called Jamie Cullum. He is a local lad
who has shot to fame  and fortune in the last year as a jazz piano player
and singer.
He says that the first records he bought were Monk and MIles Davis and then
Herbie Hancock and singers like Harry Connick so there is little early jazz
in his repertoire although he obviously appreciates the `standard` numbers.
His treatments however are anything but `standard`. I get a kick out of you`
starts with a rocking latin beat produced by banging his hands on the piano
front, sides, lid, damping and plucking the piano strings, backed by drums
and bass. Then he picks up the mike and sings a bit , back to the piano
,nice chord work while he backs his own voice, a lightning fast solo break,
spots for his drummer and the bass player. You can see it, can`t you?. He
takes stuff from a wide range, Cole Porter, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead and
turns it all into a high energy show.
Jamie has served his time in pubs, wedding gigs, cruise ships etc now at the
ripe old age of 24 is really big.His name on a tv show guarantees good
ratings. Papers and magazines are full of interviews
He used to sing with a local, and widely known  group of singers named the
Bath Silver Ring Choir. His mother is a member.
Last night I went to a Christmas Charity Concert featuring the Choir and
the Jamie Cullum Trio.
Tickets have been sold out for weeks. The very large hall was packed. The
choir, about 100 strong sang some Christmassynumbers and some carols and
Cullum strutted his stuff.
Personall;y I wished he would stop messing about and get back to playing
some jazz but the audience, a very strange mix of the ancient (me) and
modern, ( scads of teens and twenty somethings) roared their approval and an
ovation at the end with half the audience standing shouting for more.
The organisers were pleased enough to give a cheque for £5000 t0o a local
charity.
Perhaps staging events which appeal to more than one group but linked
closely enough to be compatible is one way of getting audiences.
Just a thought.


Cheers and Merry Christmas to all

Pat
Cheers

Pat
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