Jazz talent has unexpected edge

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 4, 2004 | by Charles J. Gans Associated Press

Listening to heavy metal, he found himself drawn to the guitar solos, which led him to jazz instrumental solos. Then he discovered the jazz samples used by hip-hop bands such as A Tribe Called Quest and Public Enemy. As he got into songwriting, he found his role models such as Bob Dylan and Tom Waits talking about George Gershwin and Porter.

"These things kind of led me to buy my first Miles Davis record and then start seeking out some people singing standards," said Cullum.

When he was 16, Cullum began immersing himself more in jazz piano, but he didn't think seriously about a musical career until he attended the University of Reading, where he majored in English and film studies.

He earned money playing gigs everywhere from strip clubs to weddings and funerals, and at age 19 used his student loan money to cut a record, "Heard It All Before," to sell at shows. He sold his second record, "Pointless Nostalgic," to an independent jazz label, Candid. Its success -- along with major boost from the popular BBC TV talk show host Michael Parkinson -- helped Cullum net his big Universal/Verve deal.

Cullum says he isn't nervous about whether his success in Britain can translate to the American market.

"I think the U.S. audience seems to be responding to the eclecticism of the music quite well," said Cullum. "But my expectations when it comes to record sales are always zero. . . . I just like playing music and I like to develop.

"Nothing's changed," he says, "whether it's playing in front of the queen or in front of 100 people at Joe's Pub."