So, I followed my own advice and tuned into one artist only on my iPod over the last few weeks to try and re-connect with their music. I think I was feeling like a bit of a miserable git, so I thought some jazz might cheer me up or at least get my feet tapping (much to the annoyance of my fellow bus travellers).
I like jazz, but haven't listened to any old school stuff in a while. I am going to use my usual excuse now which is that nearly my entire beloved cd collection has been ousted to my loft. This means I can't easily lay my hands on a cd anymore so I am left with whatever is already on my iPod or what I can download.
Now that's another thing, I have not been a willing participant in the download evolution so far. I totally get it and I'm not against it in any way, but I love having a physical cd in my hands. I know, I know, they take up so much space and at some point soon they will disappear like VHS, blah, blah, blah, but until then the little shiny disc is for me. My collection spans so many years and so many genres that I can't be without it. Sad, but true. And this is without mentioning my vinyl. Bearing in mind technology is actually a big part of my 'proper' grown up job, I'm a bit behind with some things. Whoops.....
Anyway, back to jazz. So, I can't get to my cd's so I had to scroll through the trusty iPod and find something to listen to. And guess who I found - Mr Jamie Cullum. Now, I know he's probably not considered to be "proper jazz", but I love what he has done for the genre. He brought a lot of flair to it and gained a lot of new listeners in the process. His roots sit firmly in jazz, but he has managed to crossover and include other styles aswell which I reckon can only be a good thing.
I'm not entirely sure when I first heard Jamie, but it would have been in relation to his 'Twentysomething' album. It was a kind of 'wow' moment when you hear something new that hooks you in and makes you want to hear more. I love what he has done with some old school jazz standards and his re-invention of some of the modern tunes is totally amazing. I remember buying the cd single of 'These are the Days' mainly because I wanted the b side which was a cover of 'Frontin' by Pharrell. I made my friend play it in the car as she'd never heard it before and basically it blew her mind! I think it was played on repeat about 20 times on the way home!
His tunes on heavy repeat at the moment include 'High and Dry', 'Lover, you Should Have Come Over' and his own compositions of 'Mind Trick' and Get Your Way'. I really don't know how I stop myself singing out loud on the bus when these songs come on. I get totally immersed in the song, the drumbeat, the piano, absolutely everything moves me. Usually I would have a couple of days listening to one artist, but its been every day for the last 2 weeks now and I'm still not getting tired of it! I am totally in love with the song 'Music is Through' from the album 'The Pursuit'. In fact, I named one of these blog entries after it! You have to hear it:
I really need to get my other jazz cd's out and doing some serious uploading, but until then I am quite happy listening to Jamie on repeat. Check it out and do some serious toe tapping.
