As a tenor saxophone player for the school jazz band, a lover of music and an avid collector of it, I often wonder to myself where all the good jazz music in the world has gone.

It seems to me that new jazz music is often boring and cannot keep my attention for more than a few minutes before I am changing the song for something along the lines of the rock or alternative genres.

However, one day while I was clicking through the iTunes store I saw an album cover depicting a young man standing in front of an exploding piano. I became curious — perhaps due to the exploding piano — and clicked on the album.

What I found after my finger left the computer’s mouse was The Pursuit, by British pianist and singer Jamie Cullum, a wonderful world which carried jazz piano and the most beautiful, pure lyrics I have come across in years.

Cullum, who began his career in 2001, recently took two years off in order to recharge his creative batteries. The Pursuit, his newest project, which came out March 2 in North America, is a collection of pop and jazz songs written and arranged by Cullum in the most satisfying way imaginable.

The first of Cullum’s originals, “I’m All Over It,” combines bright lyrics with his adept skills on the piano. The song centers around a man going through a recent breakup, who is able to put his life back together after accepting the fact that his girlfriend has moved on.

Cullum expresses his sorrow with the lyrics: “She’s a memory/ That I’ve tried to forget but I can’t/ ‘Cause I worked and I cursed and I tried/ And I said I could change and I lied.”

“I’m All Over It” starts out as a slow ballad and, by the end, morphs into a full-blown rock piece. With an intricate piano solo, Cullum declares “I’m all over it now!” time and time again while the drummer (also Cullum in this recording) hammers on the snare, base and cymbals, giving this song an intensely dramatic feeling.

Out of all the multiple covers on the album, the best by far is Cullum’s rendition of “Don’t Stop The Music,” by Rihanna. Ordinarily, a well-known pop song like this one would sound awful with a piano involved, but Cullum’s unique style only adds to the song’s upbeat dance feel.

Starting with a toe-tapping snare drum opening, the tune soon moves from pop to swing as Cullum adds the piano and the chorus comes into play. In this piece Cullum’s smooth voice is perfectly complemented by his piano chords and solos.

Cullum smoothly transitions Rihanna’s lyrics into his own style: “It’s gettin’ late/ I’m making my way over to my favorite place/ I gotta get my body moving shake the stress away.” With these famous lyrics, it is almost impossible for me to not picture myself on a dance floor somewhere.

Now like most guys, a lovey-dovey song with happy-go-lucky lyrics and a jazz piano is not my favorite thing. However, I dare any guy not to like another tune, “Mixtape.” Taking out of some Panic at the Disco tunes and adding some Coltrane seem to be the perfect ingredients for this piece which dominates the album.

The Pursuit may seem like just another album trying to do something way out of the norm and ending up average, but it is way more than that. The album delivers in every aspect.

The Pursuit can be purchased on iTunes, in addition to a deluxe version, which comes with a music video and several live songs.

For more reviews, read the Feb. 18 article, NeverShoutNever induces eponymous reaction.