Jamie Cullum, Mr Eclectic, sings with a pretty fine voice

Jamie Cullum

Jamie Cullum loves Public Enemy and Iron Maiden and he's made a name for himself through jazz. But the British singer/songwriter, with a penchant for piano smashing, is no ordinary jazz star.

He may have played it reasonably straight with his 2004 breakthrough album, Twentysomething, but on his latest release, Catching Tales, he moves seamlessly from jazz standards to hip-hop and many places in between.

He plays Auckland tomorrow, the same night as the Rolling Stones and that David Gray guy. But this whisky-toting party animal is up for it.

Have you heard of the Rolling Stones?

Yeah [laughs]. I've heard they're playing the same night. I was told by some people it might not be worth coming to Auckland which is kind of a harsh thing to say when you've travelled just about as far as you can from home [more laughs].

What's your favourite Stones song or album?

Beggars Banquet, with Sympathy For the Devil. They are still an amazing live act. It's a shame they're on the same night though, and I heard David Gray's there the same night as well. So, oh my God, I've got no chance.

So what is life like on the road for a singer/songwriter with a pretty fine voice?

Who you talkin' about [laughs]? I tend to sleep a lot during the day because after a show I tend to go out ... because it's not easy to go straight to bed. So we normally hit the town, unfortunately for my liver.

Is your voice a gift from God or were you born with it?

Sometimes it feels like a gift from Satan after a night of smoking cigarettes and drinking whisky. But I have a lot of fun with it, I've got a lot of work to do with it, and I'm young. I don't think I've been blessed with a voice like Pavarotti but I think I've got something that has potential and I've tapped into about 5 per cent of that so far.

During your gigs you normally play for as long as the crowd want it.

We don't really have a show. There's no real set time, we just play and I walk on stage and I call the first tune as I walk on.

In hindsight was [latest album] Catching Tales a little too different and out there for your fans? Or is it about pushing the boundaries for yourself?

You have to start with yourself because that's your duty as an artist. But I couldn't have done something that I didn't want to do because then you have to play it and promote it. I think the hardcore fans have been the ones who really enjoyed it.

I'm so happy this album has been embraced the way it has because repeating the success of Twentysomething [from 2004], it would either have been a miracle or I would've had to have done exactly the same as I did before and I'm just not one of those artists.

You grew up with everything from Iron Maiden to Public Enemy to Neds Atomic Dustbin. So why settle on jazz?

I don't think I ever did settle on jazz. One reason I like jazz so much is that it enables me to mess with [British guitar band] the Doves, and [hip-hop producer] Pharell Williams, hip-hop, and jazz and traditional jazz and rock. It's such a malleable music.

LOWDOWN

WHO: Jamie Cullum
WHAT: Young British jazz hotshot
WHERE & WHEN: Sky City Theatre, tomorrow.
ALBUMS: Pointless Nostalgic (2002); Twentysomething (2004); Catching Tales (2005)
FAVOURITE ROLLING STONES SONG: Couldn't decide, but chose the album Beggars Banquet.