Jamie Cullum, one of the modern jazz icons - who I was fortunate enough to watch live in Valladolid about a year ago - has a fantastic weekly radio programme on the BBC. Last Tuesday 7th February Jamie met Sir Paul McCartney for a special, in-depth interview about the tireless, unwearying Beatle's love of jazz. I must admit I've never been that fond of Sir Paul's solo career except for a couple of albums, especially the glorious "Band on the Run" when he formed Wings, but I felt a natural curiosity and thought it might be a good idea to hear one of the greatest rock icons play some jazz.
Anyway, the two artists discussed the role this genre has played in Sir Paul's life, from the days he grew up listening to his own father's band to their mutual love of legendary American jazz pianist Fats Waller. Sir Paul reflected on his early glory days with The Beatles, and how jazz, rather subtly it seems, influenced the way the Fab Four approached their compositions.
Of course, he also talked at length about his latest album, Kisses On The Bottom, consisting of cover versions of his favourite jazz classics as well as two original compositions penned by The Beatle, and explained the way the record came together, from the initial inspiration to the inevitable collaborations with the likes of Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder.
It was only coincidence that while I was enjoying (and recording) the programme Juanjo was kind enough to email me and say hello, and, since he's a keen pianist and a jazz lover himself, I wrote back telling him about the BBC programme and indeed recommended the feature to him. So I thought you would also like to listen to at least part of it, even if you don't like Sir Paul or jazz music, if only for the sake of English. You know, such different accents, Sir Paul's distinctive Scouse and Jamie's "estuary" English.
OK guys, if you're interested, this is a 20-minute sample of the interview.
