Jamie Cullum's Christmas album due next month

British singer/songwriter/pianist Jamie Cullum and Blue Note Records have announced the Nov. 20 release of his new big band album The Pianoman At Christmas, a set of 10 new original holiday songs that was recorded at Abbey Road studios.

“So much of the Christmas music we all love is stuffed full of all the things I am really drawn to in songs,” says Cullum.

“Our ears seem ready from December onwards for big bands, huge orchestras, beautiful chord changes and focused, timeless lyrics. It is a world of classic songwriting that I have been operating in since the beginning of my career. So I set myself the task to try and write ten, original Christmas songs that used these skills and obsessions to create something uncynical and adventurous, full of the joys and complexities of the season, that could be something you feel like reaching for every year. I have been so lucky that every corner of this record has been touched by the world’s best - from the legendary Studio 2 at Abbey Road, to the engineers, the arrangers, the producer and mixer. I hope the care, attention to detail and sheer joy that we put into this record will bring a little magic this Christmas.”