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Jazz Pianist, Crooner Jamie Cullum Bends Genres

Jamie Cullum.
Jamie Cullum.

Genre-bending singer and songwriter Jamie Cullum has become a star by putting his mark on jazz piano. His new music uses the instrument to explore a variety of styles, from hip hop to ballads.

The Brit's new album, Catching Tales, is a collection of original compositions, jazz standards, and savvy covers of rock and pop classics.

The songs range from "I Only Have Eyes for You" to a rendition of the Doves' "Catch the Sun." That eclecticism springs partly from Cullum's collaborators on the record -- one song is the product of work with Dan the Automator, while another pairs Cullum with singer Ed Harcourt.

Catching Tales is Cullum's follow-up to Twentysomething, his Grammy-nominated debut on the Verve label.

This interview first aired on Nov. 18, 2005.

Copyright 2005 XPN

David Dye is a longtime Philadelphia radio personality whose music enthusiasm has captivated listeners of World Cafe® since 1991. World Cafe is produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania.