Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Cullum, Jamie
Label: Island Records
Release date: 06.10.2014
Rating: 4/5
British singer-songwriter, jazz pianist and composer Jamie Cullum is back with a new officially released musical document, just one year after his sixth studio album »Momentum« (2013). This time Cullum didn’t keep writing original music. Instead, he looked back at the work of his biggest idols, the ones who inspired him as he grew as an artist and shaped the very musical style that defines Cullum’s studio output.
While putting »Interlude« together, Cullum turned for help to a crew of highly talented musicians called Nostalgia 77, led by seasoned jazz arrangement masters Benedic Lamdin and Riaan Vosloo. Cullum met Lamdin as a guest on a radio show (his Radio 1 show on the BBC). When the two later got talking about the possibility of hanging out at jam sessions in the studio, with no intention whatsoever of making new music, the seeds of »Interlude« were basically planted. The record is fascinating because, as far as the sound production goes, it’s completely stripped down, naked, and therefore an authentic imprint of the bygone days when jazz was still young and innocent. Cullum, forever fascinated by the vocals of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Dean Martin, even uses an old-school microphone with a muffler pulled over it, just to get as close as possible to that »vintage« sound.
The album of 12 covers with the rustic value of jazz classics belongs squarely in the evening ambiance of cabaret jazz clubs. Jamie Cullum has dusted off these classics and breathed fresh life into them with new arrangements, but above all his fascinatingly charismatic voice is his winning poker ace, which stamps every corner of the album and makes it unmistakably »his«! Cullum brings such dedication to the vocal reinterpretation of these jazz classics, with a squad of brilliant jazz musicians backing him up in excellent chemistry the whole way, that the album doesn’t lose its core focus for a second. It’s about covering artists who fascinate you so much that you touch their work just enough that people still know whose originals they are and who did the tinkering, all while having a ton of relaxed fun in the studio along the way. Cullum is a master at bringing emotions and passion back to life. His at times boyish voice has warmth, velvetiness and a huge range of expressive colors, and Cullum adds bigger or smaller doses of smoky huskiness exactly where needed, masterfully contrasting the emotions. In tracks like Lovesick Blues or Sack O’ Woe he can be cheekily teasing, while in the ballad My One and Only Love he’s subtly seductive.
The highlights of the album are, of course, its detours. First up is The Seer’s Tower by Sulfjan Stevens, which is of younger origin than the rest of the record. At its core it veers away from most of the tracks, which are typically steeped in cabaret swing and smooth jazz forms. Here the added string arrangements bring mystery and even a veil of darkness to the background, while Cullum’s vocal approach breathes yearning sensuality into the song. Then there’s Good Morning Heartache (originally by Dan Fischer), where Cullum deliberately goes for a lower-pitched warmth, joined by the fascinating soul voice of Black singer Laura Mvule, and the duet builds a stunning vocal contrast. For the reinterpretation of the classic Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, first sung by Nina Simone and popularized again in 1965 by The Animals, Cullum invited a special guest too: the acclaimed vocalist Gregory Porter, whom he also met as a guest on his Radio 1 show. Porter has an exceptionally penetrating, dominant, soul-blues vocal stamp that adds yet another fascinating contrast to Cullum’s voice, delivering yet another fascinating vocal interplay between two vivid approaches.
There’s no way around the effect of the Nostaliga 77 crew! The guys serve up some top-notch jazz shenanigans within the songs (the piano solo in My One And Only Love, or the alto sax solo in Out of this World), and the arrangements are likewise tailored with sensual subtlety and finesse.
»Interlude« is an album that confirms Cullum’s exceptional musical talents as a vocal interpreter and jazz pianist, and it marks the moment in his career when Cullum could fully loosen up from the »shackles« of writing his own material and enjoy the studio, backed by a team of excellent jazz-schooled musical masters. The result is an effectively delivered reinterpretation of jazz classics, with Cullum’s recognizable musical and expressive character shining clearly through.
Lineup
Jamie Cullum – vocals, piano
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Ross Stanley – piano
Riaan Vosloo – bass guitar
Tim Giles – drums
James Alisopp – clarinet
Tomas Challenger – saxophone
Fulvio Sigurta – trumpet
Lucy Hamilton – cello
Aisha Craznajeva – violin
Emma Smith – violin
Production
Benedic Lamdin
Tracklist
1. Interlude (3:26)
2. Don’t You Know (2:55)
3. The Seer’s Tower (3:55)
4. Walkin’ (2:42)
5. Good Morning Heartache [feat. Laura Mvula] (3:31)
6. Sack O’ Woe (3:45)
7. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood [feat. Gregory Porter] (2:57)
8. My One And Only Love (4:31)
9. Lovesick Blues (3:06 )
10. Losing You (3:23)
11. Out Of This World (5:49)
12. Make Someone Happy (3:28)
