Jamie Cullum Live at Cheltenham

Jamie Cullum at The Cheltenham Jazz Festival
Screened live to the Greenwich Picturehouse
May 1 2011
The Prince of Jazz Pop on our digital doorstep

We were anxious and concerned. Would our friends enjoy Jamie Cullum in concert streamed live from the Cheltenham Jazz Festival direct to the Greenwich Picturehouse cinema (not to mention 70 odd other cinemas in 6 different countries across the globe)? What about the atmosphere? How would it all work?

We needn't have worried. This charismatic, energetic, 31 year old crossover (jazz-pop) artist from Essex strode on to the stage with a calm sense of assurance well beyond his years. "This is the second time I've been out since the baby" (Cullum is married to former model Sophie Dahl), "so be gentle with me", he implored us, and so began a quite spellbinding evening.

For all his boyish charm and good looks, Cullum has earned his stripes, signing for Universal back in 2003. He opened with an old favourite, "I want to be a Popstar", a playful rumination on the advantages of being a pop star as opposed to a jazz crooner, the perfect vehicle for highlighting a light-hearted approach that has won over audiences both young and old alike.

A self-deprecating personality and some gentle humour soon had the audience warming to him and he moved on to the more serious "Rayleigh Road", a tribute to his Burmese grandparents who struggled to integrate into the Britain of the 50s. Cullum lost himself in this, oblivious to his audience and almost surprised when he had finished.

Playing solo is never easy but he mixed things up well by using his piano as a beat box to obtain some stunning rhythms, by intensive audience participation including 3 concurrent harmonies in a haunting rendition of his old classic, "All at Sea" and by playing one or two apparently hitherto unheard (but surely soon-to-be -released) songs including one about a close friend who refuses to grow up. He closed with a colossal rendition of "Don't stop the music" only to be virtually forced to return with the song of which he is most proud; Gran Torino which he wrote in close collaboration with Clint and Kyle Eastwood for the movie of that name.

While Cullum's musical talent has never been in doubt, his decision to mix jazz standards, American songbook classics and contemporary pop culture was a courageous and bold step that could easily have backfired. His vocal range, innovative arrangements and near-perfect execution somehow ties them all together. Cullum is surely a one-off.

Finally, a word of commendation for the Picturehouse chain whose courage and vision have helped open up a world hitherto closed. Plays, opera and now music have suddenly become accessible and affordable to audiences around the globe. A stunning evening. Roll on the next show. 9/10.

Dick Morgan
May 2011