Jamie Cullum

Many years ago, I learned about Jamie Cullum through a version of “Please Don’t Stop the Music”. It took a song that I found catchy and turned it into a riotous jazz-fusion song. I then went into a deep dive throughout his discography. Some of my favorite music he’s ever released is a compilation, The Song Society (Audio). He and his band learned and arranged a pop song in one hour, recorded it and then released it. My favorites are a version of “River” by Janis Joplin (Audio) and Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” (Audio). On the surface, he’s a jazz pianist and vocalist. But dig deeper. You’ll find a man who loves to play around in all genres. He’s also an amazing songwriter. My favorite original is “All At Sea”.

Because of him, I started to play around in more genres too. I’ve arranged many different songs in different ways. One of my favorite songs as a kid is “The Rainbow Connection”. I arranged it as a bossa nova (Audio). Then I spent three hours in front of a YouTube video for “The Imagination Song” from Sesame Street. I have rearranged “Summertime” and “Make You Feel My Love”.He is one of the reasons I’ve expanded my horizons as a musician. Give him a shot.

You can learn more about him here.