Jamie Cullum [ tickets ] is a force to be reckoned with. From the moment he stepped on stage for his Friday evening (3/17) set at Eternal, he hypnotized the seething crowd with his first-rate showmanship, onstage antics and fresh take on a classic style.

Easing into his showcase with "Photograph," from his latest album "Catching Tales," Cullum sat at his piano, fingers dancing smoothly across the keys, and crooned a modern-day tale over a classic jazz melody.

But that was about the only song that found Cullum relatively calm. "Get Your Way," with its sensual bass line and intense horns (the only disappointment, as they were pre-recorded) had the full house moving and grooving alongside Cullum, who was busy dancing atop his baby grand.

Following selections strayed further and further from traditional jazz, occasionally veering into a whole other genre. A percussion instrumental reminiscent of a tribal African drum circle ensued, with Cullum taking over the floor tom and his bandmates playing bongos, congas and ringing bells. The crowd ate it up.

The mood chilled for a moment when Cullum declared the Radiohead hit "High & Dry" his "favorite song of all time," launching into his own emotionally-charged rendition from his 2004 release "Twentysomething."

Another fun-loving cover from that Grammy-nominated album closed the show. Pharrell Williams' "Frontin'," reconstructed with Cullum's clever piano-playing and sultry vocals, retained the sexiness of the original while illustrating this kinetic Brit's powerful skills.