ANN'S NEWSAnn Hampton Callaway and her sister Liz will premiere their new duo show BOOM! on January 10, 2010 at 6pm at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City. The show celebrates the soundtrack of these sisters' childhood with unforgettable songs from the 60s and 70s, and this performance is part of the Association for Performing Arts Presenters Conference. Click here to purchase tickets. I am doing some very special concerts over the holidays. Scroll down the list and see if I am singing in your area. Hope to see you there or in the coming year! "A Pops Holiday" on December 13, 2009 at 3 PM Ann Hampton Callaway with The Reading Pops Orchestra, conductor Willis Rapp Miller Center for the Arts, Reading Area Community College 4 North Second Street, PO BOX 1706, Reading, PA 19601 Phone: 610.607.6205 http://www.readingpops.com 
"Holiday Spectacular With the BSO" on Dec. 18, 19. 20, 22 and 23, shows 2:00 and 7:30 Baltimore's most popular holiday tradition! Whirl into a winter wonderland with Ann Hampton Callaway as she hosts this musical extravaganza. Dazzle your senses with Jack Everly conducting more than 100 singers, dancers and musicians, a show stopping troupe of tap dancing Santas and special guests, Capitol Quartet. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD, 21201 (410) 783-8000 http://www.bsomusic.org
Thursday, December 31, 8 p.m. Hayes Hall Ann Hampton Callaway Ted Rosenthal, musical director/pianist with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra Jack Everly, conductor and Time for Three Ring in 2010 with a spectacular New Year's Eve Gala featuring celebrated singing star Ann Hampton Callaway! One of America's most gifted improvisers of jazz and pop standards, Callaway is known for her Tony nominated performance in the hit Broadway musical Swing! and for her stirring concert performances. Joining the festivities will be the groundbreaking, category-shattering trio Time for Three, which blends elements of classical, country, gypsy and jazz. Join Maestro Jack Everly and the orchestra for this unforgettable New Year's Eve bash - only at the Phil! JAZZ, POP & SWING INTO THE NEW YEAR! ONE NIGHT ONLY! Thursday, December 31 7 p.m. Buffet Reception 8 p.m. Performance 5833 Pelican Bay Boulevard, Naples, FL 34108-2740 (239) 597-1900 or (800) 597-1900 Email: customerservice@thephil.org  Vail Jazz: Singer Ann Hampton Callaway answers 7 Renowned jazz musician returns to town for annual Vail Jazz Party By: Caramie Schnell Special to the Vail Daily VAIL, Colorado - You could call her the "keeper-of-the-flame of the great American songbook." Singer Ann Hampton Callaway upholds the canon by writing songs with Cole Porter, Carole King, Barbara Carroll and others. She's even performed tributes to Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Harold Arlen in Carnegie Hall. Callaway returns to Vail for the annual Labor Day Jazz Party this weekend. Read on to learn who the one woman in the world is that intimidates her, why she first fell in love with jazz and what recent family tragedy has taken her singing to new heights. Vail Daily: What made you want to return to the Vail Jazz Party this year? Ann Hampton Callaway: I had such a great time, it's a wonderful community. I love Howard Stone and what he presents. Not only is it fun to perform there, it's a very relaxed, very jazz-friendly, warm nvivorment. it's always a great treasure to share the bill with artists you love. Hanging out with Benny Green and John Clayton, it'll be inspiring. I like being around a community of people in a concentrated period of time and you can experience and share and get to know the people who love this music and get to know the artists, it reallly builds wonderful repoire. VD: What will you be performing here in Vail? AC: I have several opportunities to do shows, I'm going to be celebrating my latest CD, "At Last," and I'll probably be doing a few songs from that CD at each show. And I'll be doing the greatest American standards and original songs. It's kind of a best-of Ann Hampton Calliway weekend. I'm still making up my mind about exactly about what I want to sing and I'll probably change my mind right before I go on, that's the spirit of Jazz. But one thing audiences have enjoyed... is the improvisation that happens at the end of each show. VD: What have you been working on recently? AC: I had a very exciting concert with the Marciac Jazz Festival, sang for 4,000 people with the Barcelona Jazz Orchestra. I've done a lot of work with big bands over the last year and a half and that's been fun. I'm getting ready to do some symphony shows in the new year. My father passed away, so this summer has really been a time of mourning, It was an unexpected passing so what I thought would be a summer of songwriting turned into a summer of very powerful emotions and dealing with his estate. ... I'm sure it'll change me as a singer. When I sang "Over the Rainbow" in France it was the first time I'd sang anything since my father had passed away and 4,000 French people didn't stop clapping and I thought maybe something is happening. Maybe there's a gift in the sadness you feel when you lose someone you love that it makes you go deeper as a singer. VD: Out of the long list of people you've performed and recorded with over the years, who stands out? AC: Definitely Barbara Streisand. Of all the singers I've worked with, she's probably the most powerful entity, in terms of her talent and her personality. I'm at ease with just about anybody on the planet but I'm still intimidated by Barbara. I'm really excited she's releasing a new album. It's something I've been wanting her to do for years. VD: Anyone else? AC: I've worked with so many great people... I loved recording with Carole King, that was one of the thrills of my life. She inspired me to be a singer/songwriter. I had the audacity to ask if she would write a song with me for a CD and she actually said yes. And she decided that since she knew I was spontaneous and she liked being spontaneous, that she didn't want to write the song until the day of the recording. So we got into the studio at 11 and by 2 we had the song finished. She stayed and did backup vocals. It was such an incredibly generous act for her to be there and it touched my heart deeply. That's what I love about music, it puts you together with so many people you wouldn't neccesarily think you would meet. VD: How did your love of jazz come about? AC: It was hard not to fall in love with jazz with a father who played every great jazz artist who was out when I was a little girl. He used to go to a wonderful bar - he worked for CBS radio back in the day and as a young reporter he'd go to this bar Figaro's in Chicago to unwind. It was there he fell in love with Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday. When he got enough money from his small salary, he'd buy albums and play them. Of course I was a diva from day one and couldn't stand going to bed early. I would lay in bed listening to these great songs and singers and be completely enchanted by them. VD: What was it about the music that appealed to you? AC: The spriit of spontaneity and the harmonic beauty, and the elegance of the music. I always felt like I was born at the wrong time. A lot of the music my peers were listening to held no interest for me, except for the singer/songwriters. I always liked to be challenged and emotionally engaged in a way that isn't just about a beat. Jazz has always spoken to me. High Life editor Caramie Schnell can be reached at 970-748-2984 or cschnell@vaildaily.com.
If you go ... September 08, 2009 The Jazz Party in Vail For his Labor Day weekend getaway, Thomas Cunniffe traveled to Vail for the 15th annual Jazz Party. During this marathon of music, our indefatigable reviewer heard some 14 ensembles. He reports on what he encountered below. The 15th annual Labor Day Jazz Party was held September 4-7, 2009 at the town square and Marriott hotel in Vail, Colorado. The party was the final event of the Vail Jazz Festival, which included a series of free outdoor evening concerts from June-August and a jazz workshop for outstanding high-school musicians. For this year's party, producer Howard Stone brought together Ann Hampton Callaway and her trio, Brian Lynch's "Spheres Of Influence" quintet, the Jeff Hamilton trio, and the Clayton Brothers Quintet. Added to this mix were soloists Joel Frahm, Dave Corbus, Wycliffe Gordon, Benny Green, Tony Monaco and Antonio Hart. The party atmosphere allowed the musicians to play in various settings and for the audience to hear all of the musicians without attending the entire event. In two music-filled days, I heard 14 different combinations of players ranging from solo piano to a 25-voice gospel choir. Jeff Hamilton played in three different groups on Saturday, opening the afternoon with his trio (featuring guest soloist John Clayton), then powering Monaco's explosive evening set and closing the night with the Hart/Gordon/Terell Stafford jam session. Hamilton, one of the most adaptable drummers on the scene today, was perfect for all three sessions. His trio set (with pianist Tamir Hendelman and bassist Christoph Luty) featured a wide range of repertoire. The highlight was an original samba featuring a drum solo on which Hamilton used - in turn - sticks, brushes and hands. Both Clayton and Luty played wonderful bowed bass solos in Clayton's original "Blues For Stephanie." When Monaco took the stage that evening, his all-star band played a wild, go-for-broke set with all participants playing at their peak. Frahm, equally comfortable in R&B and jazz settings, played blistering solos that balanced the two styles and excited the crowd. Lynch, playing more inside than with his own quintet, and Corbus, a fine guitarist with roots in electric blues and straight-ahead jazz, were superb foils on the front line. Monaco, a wild organist who must be seen live to be fully appreciated, provided an energetic mix of every jazz organ master from Jimmy Smith to Larry Young - usually within the same solo! Midway through the set, Hamilton followed a series of brilliant horn solos on Coltrane's "Impressions" with a kinetic set of 8-bar exchanges (has anyone ever traded eights on that tune before?). An hour and a half later, Hamilton was behind the drum kit again to provide solid support through the late-night jam session. If Hamilton was the star of Saturday's show, Wycliffe Gordon had the same duty on Sunday. I doubt he slept much after playing on the late Saturday night sets, but there he was at 10 o'clock Sunday morning for the "Gospel Prayer Meeting", a longtime staple of the festival. Gordon, Stafford and a slightly more reserved Monaco were joined by alto saxophonist Jeff Clayton and drummer Obed Calvaire for a spirited program of traditional standards including "Down By The Riverside" and "Amazing Grace". Gordon led the first group of the afternoon in a delightful set of New Orleans-inspired songs. Hart shared the front line with Gordon, while Hendelman, Luty and drummer John Riley provided backup. Gordon's wide-ranging talent was on full display here, singing and scatting on most of the tunes, playing exquisite plunger trombone on "Basin Street Blues" and agile tuba (with multiphonics) on "Honeysuckle Rose". The latter tune also included a delightful tuba/bass duet, and a sprightly "Rhythm-A-Ning" opened with an alto/tuba/drums chorus which burst into a full-throated alto solo by Hart. Gordon also participated in Bill Cunliffe's Oliver Nelson tribute, "Blues & The Abstract Truth, take 2." The band played Cunliffe's new arrangements of songs from Nelson's classic Impulse album, with Jeff Clayton contributing a gorgeous solo on "Stolen Moments" and Frahm blazing through "Cascades". The rhythm team of Cunliffe, John Clayton and Lewis Nash played a lovely version of Nelson's "Black, Brown & Beautiful", which as Cunliffe pointed out, has a more-than-passing resemblance to Leon Russell's later pop hit "You Are So Beautiful." In addition to being a superb pianist, Cunliffe is also a fine jazz historian (and despite the similar surname, he's not related to me). Later that evening, Cunliffe presented the latest of his multimedia tributes for the festival, this one featuring the music and life of Freddie Hubbard, with live music provided by the Clayton Brothers quintet. On Saturday afternoon, the Clayton Brothers (with Stafford on trumpet, Cunliffe subbing for the absent Gerald Clayton and Nash on drums) presented a tribute to their mentors and influences. The Adderleys might be the most obvious models for the Claytons (and they performed a Cannonball inspired piece, "Big Daddy Adderley"), but the finest moments were the tributes to Ray Brown and the Jones brothers. John Clayton told the audience that he now plays the very same bass that Brown did when the two bassists first met. The instrument is truly remarkable, and Clayton drew a deep rich sound in his bowed version of "Round Midnight." The set concluded with two movements from John's new piece called "THE Family Detroit," dedicated to Thad, Hank and Elvin Jones (the brother's first initials form the "THE" in the title). Hank's movement was very slow and achingly beautiful; Elvin's movement featured rolling 12/8 rhythms and an impressive solo by Nash. The entire piece was premiered (with the quintet and big band) at the Detroit Jazz Festival on Labor Day, so the quintet left Vail late Sunday to fly to Detroit for the performance. Here's hoping that a recording will be forthcoming. The Vail All-Stars, an astonishing group of high-school jazz musicians, were a constant and welcome presence all weekend. Led and tutored by the Clayton brothers, the 12 players all have a strong grasp of the jazz language and even if they are not yet masters at soloing, they are all far beyond the average soloists in high school and undergraduate university jazz programs. John Clayton expected each player to create new tunes and arrangements, and insisted that all the music be taught aurally. The students worked together in an intense week-long workshop and then played superb hour-long sets for the Saturday and Sunday afternoon shows and at a dinner for pass-holders and benefactors of the festival. Keep an ear out for these talented musicians as they may be the giants of the future: Noah Hocker, Benjamin Kreitman, Cody Rowlands (trumpet), Braxton Cook, Tyrone Martin (alto sax), Maxmillian Zooi (tenor sax), Luke Celenza, Alec Watson (piano), Jared Mulcahy, Bill Vonderhaar (bass), Daniel Higuera & Evan Sherman (drums). For me, the highlight of the weekend was the set by Ann Hampton Callaway. While she has several fine albums to her credit, she is another artist who is at her best in front of an audience. Her stage banter is fast-paced, her humor is disarming, and above all, her voice is simply amazing. Most of her singing is in the low, sultry and rich alto range, but when she scats, she soars almost two octaves higher with the bright sound of a soprano. After her slow heartfelt "Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye" (sung in memory of her recently deceased father, broadcaster John Callaway) she turned the mood around with uncanny impressions of Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan singing Callaway's original theme song from the The Nanny. At the end of the set, Callaway went to the piano and improvised a new song about Vail, based on audience suggestions of "snow" and "real estate." Callaway's live show is just too good to be a secret - perhaps her next album should be recorded live. Other party highlights included Stafford with Lynch and his energetic band on a Latin-drenched arrangement of Miles Davis' "Solar," the excellent Mile High Chapter Choir from Denver who closed the Sunday morning prayer meeting with an exuberant sing-along of gospel hymns, and the solo piano sets that opened the evening concerts. Benny Green played a spellbinding "You're Blasé" which completely captivated the audience. On faster tunes like "Bean and the Boys," his technique was stunning, with very clean articulation and brilliant single-line improvisations. Hendelman was equally impressive the next night, with a set of songs tied to seasons and months. While Hendelman can play convincingly in the uninhibited style of Gene Harris, he can also play very sensitively, as in his opening rendition of "September Song." With its congenial atmosphere, beautiful setting and challenging programming, many musicians have made the Vail Jazz Festival an annual stop on their itineraries. This year, the Clayton brothers, Cunliffe, Gordon, Hamilton, Callaway and the Mile High Chapter Choir were all returning participants. While I've attended the Vail party before, I'm always impressed with the new combinations of players and the fresh way that the musicians approach their new surroundings. Even when some of the cast stays the same, I come back because I know it will be a new experience. Of course, that's why the musicians come back, too.
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 "At Last" featured in NPR's The New Year's Best Jazz artcle. Click here to visit the web page. Friday, March 20, 2009 Ann Hampton Callaway and her new Telarc CD "At Last" will be featured on this weekend's broadcast of Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli. In addition to airing on over 70 stations around the country and Canada, it will be available as a podcast for the next few months at John's website. CHICAGO FREE PRESS FEB 12, 2009 Home 'At Last': An interview with Ann Hampton Callaway By Gregg Shapiro, Contributing writer Ann Hampton Callaway just may get her wish "to help the world fall in love." You've heard Callaway's dulcet tones if you've ever watched "The Nanny" - she both performed and composed that sitcom's theme song. Her music and lyrics have been performed by a number of singers, including Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli and Patti LuPone, among others. Now, on her long-awaited album "At Last" (Telarc), Callaway explores "the power of music" through a highly personal selection of material. There's a reading of "Over the Rainbow" that reveals new tints in that oft performed standard, as well as a genuinely original take on Joni Mitchell's "Carey." Callaway also does a heartbreaking rendition of the Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac gem "Landslide." At the same time, her original songs, "Save a Place for Me" and "Finding Beauty," fit perfectly with the other material. "At Last" is especially significant in that its release is timed with Callaway's willingness to speak openly about being a member of the GLBT community. We spoke, fittingly enough, shortly before Valentine's Day 2009. Gregg Shapiro: I love what you wrote in the CD booklet about how "good songs remind us that there is more to life than headlines." Was that one of the motivators in collecting these songs for this disc? Ann Hampton Callaway: I think it's a way of me articulating the backdrop of the power of the adventure of love within a time that contains so much uncertainty. I think the importance of finding connection becomes even more urgent when you feel so uncertain about the world you're living in and what's going to happen the next moment. And having someone to share that adventure with becomes a heightened yearning and experience when you have this sense of impermanence inside your consciousness... We forget what it's like to disappear into a gorgeous world, which music seems to be able to create better than almost anything I know. GS: Did the events of the 2008 election, including the passage of Prop. 8 in CA have any impact on your coming out, as it did Wanda Sykes? AHC: Yes! I was thinking about that today. You're the first person I'm talking to about this openly. I've always been a combination of a magnanimous personality - I love people, I love my audiences, I'm so interested in the world. But I'm also a very private person. I've been partnered with people who have been very private, so it's been an interesting climate throughout my life of those two different emotions and energies going on. But I think the urgency of needing to elect a leader that was going to bring about the kind of change that was desperately needed-I started to get so much more outward with my friends and my community. ... I think turning 50 last May (2008) was another eye-opening, sobering thing (laughs). Okay, here I am being an advocate of people being their true selves and fulfilling their greatest potential, and I'm always trying to nurture that in other people, and I looked philosophically at my own life and I realized that for me to own up to that wish for myself I had to be willing to step forward into the light and speak more candidly about my life and what I've learned. GS: Did you get unconditional love and support from your family? AHC: I have it now. Because I'm not a black and white story - I've been very attracted to men. I've had a lot of relationships with men and I'm still attracted to men. But I don't fall in love with men. So, because my parents understood that about me, I think they always entertained the thought that maybe the right man would come along. Eventually, I think they realized (laughs) that their daughter was who their daughter was. I'm very grateful that whatever difficulties they had with it, they got through it all. I have an extremely supportive and loving family. I've been out to my friends and so many of my professional cohorts for years. But in terms of my audiences, I've always chosen to leave a certain amount to the imagination. If you're listening to me singing about love, I've advocated the idea that an audience can picture whoever they wanted as they heard the words that I was singing a love song. That's a sense of mystery that I think makes things powerful. But also, as you get older and people get to know better, it seems...not that I'm going to make it a headline in my life because there are so many things that I think are more important than my sexual identity (which is complicated), but I do think that being yourself is essential. GS: How much did the inclusion of "Over The Rainbow," the unofficial gay national anthem, have to do with this disc being released at the time of your coming out? AHC: I think it's a subliminal message for me. I didn't consciously think "I want a gay anthem on my CD," but in hindsight it's perfectly poetic that it turns out to be that I needed to sing this song. I felt such a reluctance to sing a song that had been so identified with Judy Garland. Being friends with Liza Minnelli, I've always tiptoed around that song. But when I finally dared to sing it on the centennial of Harold Arlen, I felt so much emotion. And seeing Judy Garland, as a young girl, my first movie musical, I was completely mesmerized by her performance of that song. (That was) the first time I heard and watched a singer sing a song and disappeared into a world that felt like my own private world. GS: You've always included at least one of your own compositions on your discs. Is there a process that you go through of matching your own material to existing compositions or vice versa? AHC: Yes, there is. Originally, this CD was going to be all originals. It evolved into a collection of very eclectic songs that included my own songs. The two songs, "Finding Beauty" and "Save a Place For Me," seemed to be the best fit of the songs that I'd written for my sweetheart. It became like a movie. I started to craft a storyline of flashbacks and fast forwards and the whole underpinning of the album is the final song "On My Way To You," (a reflection of) the many interesting steps I'd taken towards finally finding true happiness. ... "Finding Beauty" is a great expression of my process of discovering my partner. The other song was actually a poem that emerged from the sense that I was never going to get to be with my partner. I was trying to find a way of accepting finding another way of loving her that would be truthful of my feelings and respectful of her feelings. GS: "Carey" by Joni Mitchell... AHC: One of my inspirations... GS: ...is one of the most thrilling arrangements and renditions I've ever heard. AHC: I love the adventure of taking songs that mean a lot to me, and it takes a long time sometimes. ("Blue") was my first Joni Mitchell album and I memorized it and sang along with it. I devoured it when I was a teenager. I never dreamed of touching any of Joni Mitchell's songs because, to me, she was the ultimate interpreter of her own music. But I changed my mind about the song and it was in the process of rehearsing with my band that I said I wanted to try the song. I came up with a rhythm, a feel, and I said to Jay Leonhart that I wanted him to be the mastermind behind it. His incredible imagination took over and we created this whole new "Carey." I think it's one of my favorite cuts on the album. GS: Speaking of Joni, she also did a cover of "Comes Love." Why did you want to cover that one? AHC: That album ("Both Sides Now") is one of the most beautiful albums of standards that I've ever heard. It's a brilliant album. GS: At the other end of the spectrum, I got choked up over your cover of "Landslide." AHC: Thank you! It's a song that wasn't on my radar until my partner said, "I want to hear you sing this song." I was reluctant at first. I didn't grow up listening to a lot of Fleetwood Mac. When I heard this song, the lyrics blew me away. GS: You've mentioned your partner Kari a number of times and the album is dedicated to her. How long have you and Kari been together? AHC: We're going to celebrate our two-year anniversary in a few days. GS: That's wonderful. With this coming out do you see this as a way of also reaching other audiences? To play an Olivia Cruise, for instance, or the Dinah Shore Weekend? AHC: I'd love to! They've talked to me for years and I don't know why it's never happened. I've played on RSVP cruises. I've sung with almost every gay chorus in the country. I've already been on the scene for quite a long time. I don't know that people really know who I am to the degree that I'm willing to share right now. Who knows where that will take me and what adventures are ahead? There's more! Read Gregg Shapiro's complete interview with Ann Hampton Callaway at chicagofreepress.com.  Ann Hampton Callaway: Out at LastAfter years of writing for the likes of Barbra Streisand, Patti LuPone -- even Fran Drescher -- Ann Hampton Callaway steps center stage with a new album and an announcement: She's gay.By Dustin Fitzharris She was working in a bridal shop in Flushing, Queens ... You know you can finish the rest (although the middle part is tricky, so do what everyone does and hum it or make up your own words). Of course, that's the theme from the TV show The Nanny, starring Fran Drescher. But did you know the woman who wrote and sang that song has recorded close to a dozen albums, has written songs performed and recorded by Barbra Streisand, Patti LuPone and Carole King, and received a Tony nomination for her role in the Broadway musical Swing? Her name is Ann Hampton Callaway, and although she has just released a new album called At Last, there is something else she is ready to share with the public for the first time -- her gay sexuality. Advocate.com: After all these years you are finally at a place where you are comfortable discussing your sexuality. How did that come about? Ann Hampton Callaway: I've discussed my sexuality with my friends and peers, but I've never discussed my personal life with the press. I had partners who weren't comfortable with me being "officially" out. However, for me, I feel like I'm depriving myself and friends of just being who I am and embracing the life I've led and all the pain I've endured. Was there any significance to coming out at this point in time? I'm not only a singer but also a citizen. We have made great strides in electing Barack Obama, a thoughtful and intelligent man with a great vision for our country, but we still have Proposition 8 staring us in the face. Even though we've made great advances, there is a lot more work to be done, and I want to be a part of that. It will take all of us to step forward now and say who we really are. Maybe by me coming out people will say, "I love Ann Hampton Callaway." It may change their face as to who gay people are. What do you think is the future of Proposition 8? It may be a semantic problem that people have with the word marriage. Some call marriage an act of God, and in all of the very narrow interpretations of the Bible or whatever their religious book is, if they take these passages so literally, then they're never going to accept gay marriage. How do you get people to see that everyone is a human being and has the right to celebrate, honor, and sanctify the relationship they have with someone they have chosen to share their life with? You have a new CD out called "At Last." Tell me about it. It's a collection of love songs for adults, and I say that with a little wink in my eye. It's the most unbridled and personal collection of songs that I've recorded to date. I was trying to capture this moment in my life of finding my great love and reaching a sense of peace about all the different steps and missteps it took for me to come to this place. It's a celebration and embracing all of the hell and gorgeousness of the emotions and experiences that love puts all of us through. Have you found fulfillment in love? I have. I've had moments in my life where I thought I had found "the one," but being in the two-year relationship that I'm in now is a revelation for me. I'm finally with someone who is the perfect match for me. I feel like the Goldilocks of love. You know, where she sat down in one chair and it was too hard. Then she sat in another and it was too soft. Finally, she sat in a chair that was just right. That's how I feel about my partner. She's full of love, intelligence, and life. Earlier this month Etta James said Beyoncé was going to get "her ass whipped" for singing "At Last," the song she made famous, for one of Obama's inaugural balls. Are you nervous that James is going to come after you next? What I've noticed about other singers singing "At Last" is they always copy Etta James's arrangement, and I think, What is so hard about finding your own arrangement and interpretation? Why do you have to copy this great rendition of a song that's already been done beautifully by the person who dreamed of it? My suspicion is if [James] is mad, it's because [Beyoncé] didn't find her own interpretation. Shame on Beyoncë if that is, in fact, the case. Can you tell me about the TV show you have been working on for PBS called Singer's Spotlight With Ann Hampton Callaway? It's a television talk-variety show celebrating America's great interpreters of song. We've done two pilots that aired in Chicago, and they were beautifully received by the press. We are in the midst of raising the remaining $2 million to finish the first season, but with this economy, we are at a standstill. We need a show like this for Americans -- especially young people who don't know about our great singers and songs. I know young gay boys who don't know who Liza Minnelli is. It's inexcusable that people aren't aware. Your show is different from American Idol in that there is an element of connecting and learning about the history of the songs performed. What are your thoughts on American Idol? I have a love-hate relationship with the show. I love that Americans are so interested in singers. However, I often think the emphasis is on the appearance and the gimmick of the sexiness as opposed to how to really interpret a song and how to reach into your soul and do something that is original to you. I think it's turning into a formula, and any time you turn something into a formula you take the life out of it. It's like taking a Xerox of a song instead of the real song. You have written a few songs for Barbra Streisand, including "I Dreamed of You," the song she sang to James Brolin on their wedding day. Do you ever just pick up the phone and say, "Hey, Babs, it's me?" I've had many wonderful conversations with Barbra over the years on the phone and in person. But no matter how wonderful our times have been, I still feel in a state of awe over her. She's not one of those people you just take off your shoes with and get all cozy. She's Barbra Streisand! Your heart always beats faster when you're in the same room. It's like finding out that Santa Claus is a real person. And while we are talking about a diva, are you a diva? I am, but I say it as a joke. I am possibly one of the easiest people to work with. I know how to comb my own hair, and I don't ask people to take out the green M&Ms. I do love hearing those diva stories, though. You will turn 51 in May. What is the greatest thing about getting older? Learning that not everyone is going to love you. If you spend your life waiting for the moment when everyone is going to love you, then you're going to miss out on half of your life. You don't care as much about pleasing people; you care more about being your true self.
Liza Minnelli, Sutton Foster, Ann Hampton Callaway to Appear at Barnes & NobleBy: Brian Scott Lipton, Jan 23, 2009, New YorkBarnes & Noble Lincoln Triangle (Broadway and 66th Street) has announced its line up of February free events, including a special performance and appearance by Tony Award winner Liza Minnelli at 6pm on Tuesday, February 3. Priority seating will be given to those who have purchased copies of her new CD Liza's at the Palace, which is officially being released that day. Other performance and CD signings include Luba Mason (6pm, February 2), Nancy Stearns (6pm, February 4), Rosena M. Hill (7:30pm, February 4), Todd Murray (6pm, February 11), Ann Hampton Callaway (6pm, February 16), Kevin Dozier (6pm, February 18), Johnny Rodgers (6pm, February 25), and Tony winner Sutton Foster (5pm, February 27). Events also include a discussion of the book Historic Photos of Broadway with author Leonard Jacobs and special guests (6pm, February 9), a kids workshop with the New Victory Theatre in relation to their upcoming production of Henry V (4pm, February 19), a discussion and signing with famed musical conductor Zubin Mehta of his new memoir (3pm, February 22), and a reading of Christopher Moore's Fool, based on the character in Shakespeare's King Lear (7:30pm, February 25).
Ann Hampton Callaway's "At Last" Due in Stores in February 2009; Track List AnnouncedBy Andrew Gans14 Nov 2008 Tony-nominated singer-actress Ann Hampton Callaway will release her latest solo recording, "At Last," in February 2009. The Telarc Jazz disc, which celebrates romance, will arrive in stores Feb. 3, 2009. Expect original songs as well as tunes by Cole Porter, Stevie Nicks, Harold Arlen, Joni Mitchell, Chick Corea and more. The new recording, according to press notes, "is a mix of jazz standards, versatile pop songs and a couple original tunes, each woven together to create a narrative that is perhaps as cinematic as it is musical." In a statement Callaway said, "I always think of CDs like movies. You wouldn't download one scene from a movie. You want the whole thing, the whole story. An album shouldn't be just a bunch of songs in a sequence that's front-loaded with hits. It's really about creating an emotional journey that starts in one place and ends in a place that's very different." Callaway is backed by pianist Ted Rosenthal, bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Victor Lewis. Guest musicians include guitarist Rodney Jones, violinist Mads Tolling, saxophonist Teodross Avery, flugelhornist Marvin Stamm, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and percussionist Emedin Rivera.
The complete track listing for "At Last" follows:
"What Is This Thing Called Love?" - Cole Porter Not only a singer, Ann Hampton Callaway is also an acclaimed songwriter, whose works have been performed by Barbra Streisand, Patti LuPone and dozens of others. For her Broadway bow in Swing!, Callaway garnered a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, and her many recordings include "Ann Hampton Callaway," "Bring Back Romance," "To Ella with Love" and "After Ours." Callaway is also a recipient of 14 Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC) Awards.
Watch the Fran Drescher video here:
TRIBUTE TO ELLA CELEBRATES ELLA FITZGERALD'S 90th BIRTHDAY YEAR
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Ann is excited to be joined by drummer Sherrie Maricle and her all-female Diva Jazz Orchestra. "I have wanted to sing with them ever since I heard their first CD years ago. I was simply knocked out by their talent." They finally joined forces during a very special engagement at Lincoln Center's Women in Jazz Festival last year, which was followed by an extended run at the famous Blue Note jazz club. "Having spent so long as a solo artist, I find a great artistic camaraderie singing with orchestras and big bands," Ann says. "Sherrie has gathered a remarkable group: women with amazing spirit, humor and spontaneity. Musical chemistry is important of course, but so is personal chemistry. It's more than a job for these dedicated players, it's an emotional investment with their music."