Jamie Cullum is a celebrated musician the world over with loyal fans in every corner of the globe. Over the last 18 years his legendary live shows have seen him perform at festivals alongside artists as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar, St Vincent and Lang Lang. In addition to his enduringly successful recording career, with eight albums under his belt and number nine about to arrive, he has also established himself as a multi-award-winning music broadcaster. Jamie approaches all aspects of his career, as he has from the beginning, as both a fan and a student with seemingly boundless creativity and enthusiasm.
The success of his major label breakthrough ‘Twentysomething’ and its follow up ‘Catching Tales’ saw him nominated for a Brit, Grammy and numerous other awards around the world, but the most important outcome of the five years he spent in the tireless promotion of these records is an enviable live career that is truly global. Cullum’s world tour took in over forty countries. If you have seen him live, it’s hard to argue against the claim he is one of the best live entertainers working today. It is a reputation that, from Singapore to Sao Paolo and most places in-between has only continued to grow, culminating in a long-held ambition being fulfilled at that famous mud bath that is Glastonbury.
Jamie has even become the guest director of some of his favourite festivals, producing extraordinary shows such as orchestral specials at the Royal Albert Hall for two BBC Proms, the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic and a night of Jazz and Drum n’ Bass at The Forum in London.
One of Jamie’s most treasured ambitions was to work on music for movies, his interest in cinema runs deep having received a First-Class Honours Degree in Film and English Literature at Reading University. Most notable are the new commissions for film, his first being for Disney’s Meet The Robinsons, his last being the end credit tune for the recent heist movie King of Thieves, and the best known being his work with Clint Eastwood on the score for the award winning Gran Torino.
A curious songwriter and always eager to explore the building blocks of song writing, Jamie began a YouTube series of topical covers named ‘The Song Society’ which has been enjoyed in its millions. 'The Song Society’ Project feels like it will be a part of what I’m doing for many years to come. It brings together my love of other people’s songs, particularly from the pop world, with a sense of fun, spontaneity and a deep dive into some collective musicianship to try and deliver something great in just an hour.'
Jamie is also enjoyed by myriad radio listeners on his globally syndicated radio show. Based in jazz, but dipping into the world of hip-hop, electronic music and beyond, the show features music, interviews and live sessions. It initially airs on BBC Radio 2 and has garnered over a dozen awards since its debut in 2010. The latest and most prestigious is the gold ARIA he won as Best Music Presenter in late 2018. Jamie’s live prowess is matched by his skill as an interviewer. Paul McCartney, Gil-Scott Heron, Paul Simon, Cleo Laine, Clint Eastwood, Dave Brubeck, Martin Freeman, Kate Bush and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich have all been guests on his show, with fellow piano man Billy Joel joining Jamie for a Radio 2 special shortly after Cullum was invited by his hero to open for him at Madison Square Garden, eight times!