Scheduled To Appear – 02/24

BBC Radio 2 announced today that Cullum, who’s seen in the States as more of a multi-instrumentalist and pop singer than a full-fledged jazz artist, will begin hosting a weekly “jazz programme” on Tuesday nights beginning April 6. The singer had previously been a presenter on “Best of Jazz” on the same network.

Sounds innocent enough, right? Not to British jazz fans. The problem, it seems, is that Cullum’s show, scheduled to air at 7 p.m. GMT, will be bouncing a long-running program called “The Music Goes Round,” which is hosted by one Desmond Carrington.

Carrington’s show, which The Guardian reports is broadcast from his home in Perthshire and draws from “his extraordinary collection of more than 250,000 records,” has been on the air for an astounding 29 years and has held its current time slot since 2004.

“The Music Goes Round” will now form part of “Friday Night is Music Night,” which runs from 7 p.m. GMT to 10 p.m. GMT.

The parallel move seems to be small comfort to both fans of Carrington and jazz who submitted a flurry of stinging comments, as well as a few supportive ones.

Ado16 wrote: “Jamie Cullum is to Jazz as Lifts are to lift music” (I’m assuming ado means elevators and elevator music.)

Gcday chimed in with the “precious” jab: “Cullum Gollum scares me.”

Magma sneered: “God damn, he’s unpleasant. No doubt this means that all jazz on the BBC will have to pass the ‘Would the cover of this CD look good on a trendy coffee table in Bath’ test.”

If Magma thinks Cullum’s so bad he/she should take a gander at some of the oh-so-hip Web sites on this side of the Atlantic touting the latest inaccessible and unlistenable album from whatever indie-rock darling currently has the trendies hyperventilating. (I won’t name any names. You know who you are.)

Rather surprisingly, Savage Garden is faring better with the British public – and football fans apparently.

Just before Valentine’s Day, this brilliant (and brilliantly arranged) version of the duo’s “Truly Madly Deeply” began airing in ads for athletic gear manufacturer Puma. (“I’ll be your ‘ope, I’ll be your love, Be every-fing that you need!”)

Wednesday, February 24
John Caparulo, Bill Bellamy, Arden Myrin – “Chelsea Lately”
Ludacris – “Lopez Tonight” – rerun
Ne-Yo – “Late Show with David Letterman” – rerun
Tracy Morgan – “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”

Thursday, February 25
Katharine McPhee – “The Bonnie Hunt Show”
Ben Gleib, Brad Wollack, Natasha Leggero – “Chelsea Lately”
VV Brown – “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Friday, February 26
Josh Wolf, Heather McDonald, Ryan Stout – “Chelsea Lately” – rerun
Lou Reed & The Blind Boys of Alabama – “Late Show with David Letterman” – rerun
Kara DioGuardi, Daniel Merriweather – “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Saturday, February 27
Kenny Chesney – “Austin City Limits” – rerun
Jennifer Lopez – “Saturday Night Live”