jazzo
High and Dry
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 4530
Location: Chicago
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 Post subject: Toronto - Massey Hall |
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Review from thestar.com
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Jamie Cullum cuts loose at Massey Hall
March 11, 2010
Ashante Infantry
He may be Britain's top-selling jazz artist ever, but Jamie Cullum is infused with a pop soul that cut loose at Massey Hall Tuesday night.
Mostly serving up tunes from his new disc The Pursuit, the elfin, tousle-haired singer-pianist proved a can't-take-your-eyes-off-him showman. Palpable was his delight in confounding the enthused, near-capacity crowd with clever arrangements and inventive solos.
Everything seemed tongue in cheek, from the way he sometimes made his sly, sexy voice croak or screech, as if in parody of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, whose songs he often covers, to the electronic effects and beatboxing he slipped in.
Cullum started off the set with Cole Porter's "Just One of Those Things," delivering more explicit lyrics to cement the song's one-night stand theme, and later presented "If I Ruled the World" as a dirge. There was also a slowed-down cover of Rihanna's club tune "Don't Stop the Music" and a slow grind take on "What a Difference a Day Makes."
Then there were his own confessional tunes and the explanations that preceded or followed:
"Get Your Way" – "about trying to get laid and failing."
"I'm All Over It" – "a breakup song where you wake up six months later and say `Damn, that was a good idea.'"
Yes, he danced on the hallowed hall's piano, pounded the keys with his bottom and halfway through the two-hour show had doffed blazer, shirt and tie to carry on in a white T-shirt, dark skinny pants and sneakers, but that insouciance was matched with real talent and deep musical knowledge. And his blend of pop and jazz brought out a multi-generational audience.
He was accompanied by four versatile musicians. The drummer was the only one who did not double up, and in some cases triple up, on either electric or acoustic instruments. Though clearly well-rehearsed, there was plenty room for all around improvising.
Cullum, who turned 30 and got married since last summer's Toronto gig, was properly reverent – "God, this place is amazing, beautiful" – about playing at the site of the legendary 1953 jazz summit that included Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Bud Powell and Charles Mingus. He described his band as "excited, but totally terrified; to trod the same stage as Charlie Parker is like walking on clouds." |
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