At 24, Jamie Cullum might seem a little wet behind the ears to be revitalizing contemporary jazz. On the contrary. It is precisely because of his youth that the scruffy, self-taught British pianist/singer/songwriter can produce music to which both seasoned jazz fans and young pop aficionados have responded enthusiastically; Twentysomething, his major label debut, has made Jamie a star - setting records as the fastest-selling jazz debut in UK history, where it was certified Platinum in just six weeks.

On Twentysomething, Jamie celebrates jazz and and retrofits standards to accommodate elements of the music he grew up with, from rock to rap to drum & bass. Just as gracefully, he recasts the works of contemporary luminaries like Radiohead and Jeff Buckley with a harmonic vocabulary he learned picking through old Gershwin tunes. But this young upstart has drawn raves as more than just an interpreter with a slate of originals, both by Jamie and his older brother, Ben, that draw upon, and reflect, the experiences of his own generation.

Credit: starswelove.com