Untrained musician lands £1m deal

An untrained musician has escaped the world of smoky bars and endless improvisations to land possibly the biggest ever deal for a new jazz star.

Self-taught pianist Jamie Cullum, 23, has landed a deal worth in excess of £1m (€1.5m) with one of the world’s biggest labels, Universal.

His prodigious talent led to desperate record bosses upping the stakes to sign him, believing his crossover appeal could make him a major player in the charts.

“There was something of a bidding war between Sony and Universal – I’ve just been laughing since all this began,” he said today.

While many keyboard wizards opt for standards made famous by Thelonious Monk, Jimmy Smith or Dave Brubeck, Cullum has a more eclectic approach.

His performances include songs such as Nirvana’s Heart Shaped Box or music by Jimi Hendrix and Radiohead, as well as a few lounge standards and his own compositions.

Cullum, raised near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, said he had “not even remotely” considered he would ever land a deal with a major label.

“I was just playing piano in bars, doing it to get better as musicians do.”

He came to the attention of a wider audience of jazz fans with a modest release, Pointless Nostalgia, issued by respected specialist label Candid. It featured classics like Night And Day and God Bless The Child.

“I made it with my own money and it was to sell at my gigs. I didn’t think it would ever have been picked up by a smaller label like it was,” he said.