First British jazz artist to go platinum

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3253578.stm

BBC News
Monday, 1 December, 2003, 14:14 GMT  

Cullum beats British jazz record
 

Singer and pianist Jamie Cullum has become the first British jazz
artist to have a platinum album.

Cullum's latest album Twentysomething has sold 300,000 copies in the
UK - the amount needed for a platinum award - in just over a month.

The 24-year-old has become a jazz sensation, signing a £1m record deal
earlier this year and gaining support from DJs like Michael Parkinson.

Silver, gold and platinum awards for album sales were introduced in
1973.

Previously, the UK's most successful jazz artist had been Courtney
Pine, who went silver - awarded for sales between 60,000 and 100,000.


Wide appeal 

Twentysomething entered the UK album chart at number five when it was
released in October, and is now at number 22.

But it is at number three in the jazz/blues album chart - and his
previous album, Pointless Nostalgia, is also in the top 10.

Cullum plays everything from jazz standards to covers of songs by
Nirvana and Radiohead.

His next single will be a version of Jimi Hendrix's The Wind Cries
Mary.

As well as jazz clubs and concert halls, Cullum has appeared at the
Royal Variety Performance and on children's TV shows including Blue
Peter and CD:UK.