Jamie Cullum returns to jazz with Interlude and Ronnie Scott’s launch dates
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Following a foray into pop, hip hop and singer-songwriter territory in recent years, British piano and vocal star Jamie Cullum is set to make an emphatic return to his first love, jazz, as he releases his new album Interlude – The Jazz Album on 6 October on Island Records.
Cullum and producer Ben Lamdin (aka Nostalgia 77), both self-confessed jazz vinyl ‘crate-diggers’, have brought together a collection of jazz standards exploring a mix of classic big band swing, blues and lush vocal balladry all recorded on analogue equipment in Lamdin’s North London studio.
The album’s two guests include Grammy Award-winning US singer Gregory Porter on a barnstorming take of ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’, set to the first single from the album, and MOBO-winning British singer Laura Mvula who adds a sweet vulnerability to the ballad ‘Good Morning Heartache’.
Having premiered the album at Cheltenham Jazz Festival in May, (where Cullum was also guest festival director), he also performed the new material with his 24-piece big band at the Jazz a Vienne festival in France, which was filmed for the accompanying live DVD.
To launch the album, Cullum will be performing four shows over two nights at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club on 17 and 18 September, before setting off on a number of international tour dates in Germany, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Turkey and Hong Kong.
– Bethany Roberts
– Photo by Tim Dickeson - Jamie Cullum live at Jazz a Vienne