Jamie Cullum’s willingness to defy convention has served him well during his lifelong pursuit of musical fulfillment. He began playing piano and guitar at the age of eight; in his mid-teens, he was in and out of rock bands playing guitar, drums and piano; he was also the drummer in a hip-hop combo, eventually finding his way back to jazz through the samples used in his favourite hip-hop recordings; and he spent the end of his teen years living in Paris, where he honed his skills performing in local jazz clubs before going on to become the biggest-selling British jazz artist of all time. He has won an enviable reputation as a magnetic live performer, playing freewheeling concerts that emphasize spontaneity and improvisation — and which rarely employ a set list.