Self-taught pianist Jamie Cullum from Marlborough has landed one of the biggest jazz record deals in history after signing a £1m contract with Universal. Following a furious bidding war, Jamie, 23, convinced Universal bosses that he had the crossover appeal that would win both jazz and pop fans to become the "David Beckham of jazz". Often to be seen gigging in and around Swindon in venues such as The Apartment, Longs Bar and The Kings Head, the musician said he had "not even remotely" expected to land a major record contract and had released his first album, Pointless Nostalgic, through a small specialist label. He said: "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. I never tried to get a deal, I just moved to London because I thought I would get more gigs, and then all this happened." Riding on the wave of the current Jazz revival which has catapulted contemporary artists such as Norah Jones to multi-Grammy Award-winning stardom, Jamie Cullum explained the appeal of his music. "I'm not playing hardcore free jazz, this is a lot more modern. I think it could open up a new market." He started out playing guitar but moved to keyboards and now plays piano, electric piano and Hammond organ as well as singing. He said he did have a few piano lessons when he was younger but gave them up and taught himself, and has been performing professionally since his late teens. His first major release is expected in September and bosses hope to team him up with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. Following the announcement of his record deal, Jamie was whisked off on a whirlwind promotional tour which saw him appear on Parkinson alongside Matthew Perry, Hugh Jackman and Des O' Connor. He also found time to drop into the BBC Radio Swindon studios to discuss his success with Breakfast Show presenter Peter Heaton Jones. Click here to listen to the interview
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Jamie Cullum has just landed a £1m recording contract with Universal
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