Jamie Cullum Is Da Shiznit
I was lucky enough to be invited to see Jamie Cullum perform last weekend in Austin, TX at Stubbs’ BBQ. I can mark that show down as being one of the most entertaining concerts I’ve been to since Barenaked Ladies.
I’ve been a fan of Jamie since his first album, Twentysomething, which contained a handful of original material by him, as well as covers by Sinatra and other famous Jazz artists of the past (and even Hendrix!) His two singles off the album, All At Sea, and a cover of Radiohead’s High and Dry, had moderate radio play and made a name for himself (mostly in the UK). His second album, Catching Tales, is by far a huge leap of accomplishment for the artist in originality, tone, and overall excellence.
I was surprised when I heard he was playing at Stubbs, and even more surprised when I found out how cheap the tickets were ($20!). Other more “well-known” neo-Jazz artists like Norah Jones sell tickets for upwards of $80-100 a pop, and don’t put on half the show that Jamie does.
For a piano player, you wouldn’t think the stage show would be all that exciting. Anyone who thinks Jazz is boring NEEDS to see this man perform live. He was all over the stage, jumping off his piano, climbing underneath, and beating on it to make acoustic drumming sounds. He even had a four-track sampler by the piano hooked to a mic which he used to sample himself doing various phonetic sounds that eventually turned into the full beat of a song. He simply put it on a loop and sang the song–all by himself.
For most of the act he was backed up by an upright bass player, drummer, keyboardist, saxophone, and guitarist, but Jamie did most of the work himself. He covered almost everything from his two albums including a few cover songs (his rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” was both hilarious AND awesome) in the span of two and a half hours.
Set List (as much of it as I can remember)
Get Your Way
Mind Trick
Fascinating Rhythm
Since U Been Gone (Kelly Clarkson)
7 Days to Change Your Life (inspired by Tony Robbins)
London Skies
My Yard
Twentysomething
But For Now
Photograph
I Could Have Danced (the four-track sampler song)
Nothing I Do
All At Sea
Our Day Will Come
Frontin’ (Neptunes/N.E.R.D. Cover)
High and Dry (Radiohead)
Thanks to Jessica & Mark for inviting me! I had a BLAST.
Link: Jamie Cullum Is Da Shiznit
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