A bit of music business stardust descended on Bolton Abbey last week when modern jazz legend Jamie Cullum came to town.
The singer-songwriter interviewed staff at Cavendish Pianos, the UK’s sole remaining piano manufacturer, for a BBC Radio 4 documentary he is making on the history of the piano. Upon arriving at the company’s Beamsley Hill base the star proceeded to ‘christen’ a freshly-finished instrument by performing an improvised, and atmospheric, version of If I Ruled the World.
Jamie, applauded by an impressed workforce, then delivered his verdict: “It’s a lovely, beautiful instrument. Thank you for letting me play it.”
Cavendish’s managing director Adam Cox, of Otley, described the whole visit as a “fantastic” experience and said the jazz man had been “very interested” in how the pianos were constructed.
Excerpts from the trip will feature in the three-part radio documentary Jamie Cullum’s Piano Pilgrimage which is expected to air in early 2014.
To view Jamie’s performance, visit ilkleygazette.co. uk.
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