Personal fulfilment issues aside, Cullum's success at bringing jazz back into vogue with a new generation can only be applauded. His brilliant versions of Pharrell Williams' 'Frontin'' and Radiohead's 'High & Dry' show, without a doubt, that jazz is cool and not just the domain of geriatric crooners sporting dodgy hairpieces.

But it's Cullum's live performances that maketh the man – his jazz is so fresh because he breaks all the rules; he jumps on top of his piano, sprints across the stage to catch his solo by a hair's breadth, and performs entire songs using the piano as a full percussion set: banging the lid and slapping the sides with entertaining abandon.

This DVD lets you see Cullum as the twentysomething he purports to be but never really shows on his album, which could easily be construed as a young man mimicking rather than engaging with a genre. You also realise he's not been swept up on his own hype; he sardonically remarks that his stage dressing is an old rug from home: “Britney Spears has snakes and lesbians – I've got a bit of my mum's carpet, what can I say?”

Inter-cut with the songs is footage of Jamie on tour and at Glastonbury, which draws a better picture and adds to the overall impact of the show. He's funny, reflective, but most of all he treats his success with surprise rather than conceit. The performance itself is excellent, in a stunning setting at Blenheim Palace as the sun sets (although the audience seem welded to their seats and quiet throughout).

Extras included are music videos, and behind-the-scenes footage of Jamie at Glastonbury, along with an odd but amusing sequence seeing him busking in an eerily deserted San Francisco. The make-your-own-song DVD-ROM feature, is, of course, rubbish, but these little extras help prolong the Cullum experience.

So, if you like Jamie Cullum's music, this is a superb companion to the album and lets you hear him the way he should be – live. If you don't like the-over-achieving-bugger, this could also well change your opinion of him.

(4/5)

Jamie Cullum - Live At Blenheim Palace