ANN'S NEWSAnn Hampton Callaway  'A Quick 5' With Ann Hampton Callaway By Elliot Lanes - November 11, 2011 Ann Hampton Callaway is a singer/songwriter whose songs have been performed by Barbara Streisand and many other artists. She is the composer of the theme song for the TV show The Nanny and she sings it with her sister Liz Callaway. She was seen on Broadway in the musical Swing! and can be heard on the cast recording. This Sunday, she will be performing Boom! and Broadway with Liz at Strathmore. Ann has recorded many wonderful CDs and I suggest you add them to your music collection. You were on Broadway in the musical Swing. Did you enjoy that experience? It was thrilling hard work with so many rewards artistically and emotionally. The imagination and discipline it took to create the show, and then to . . . < Click here > to read the full article. Please enjoy this 10 minute segment on Chicago's WTTW of Liz and I singing and performing songs from Boom!. This was the show our late dad, John Callaway, created and hosted for several years so it was a very moving experience to be there and talk about him. Artist's Choice: Ann Hampton Callaway on Ella Fitzgerald Today's top jazz performers pick 10 favorite tracks by the players, singers and styles that helped define them. Ella Fitzgerald continues to be one of Ann Hampton Callaway's greatest inspirations. Featured in this month's issue of Jazz Times, check out Ann's top ten Ella tracks and then spoil yourself with the music of the first lady of song!  BOOM! CD Order Now on: PS Classics, amazon.com and iTunes - Album Release Date: July 12, 2011 Sisters and Tony Award-nominated actresses Liz Callaway and Ann Hampton Callaway have delighted and enthralled crowds with BOOM!, their hit concert celebrating the soundtrack of their childhood with unforgettable songs from the 1960s and '70s. Now, this hit show - in which, The New York Times raved, the sisters "lift these songs to expressive heights rarely attained by any singer" - has been recorded during the Callaways' engagement at New York's famed Birdland in May 2011. BOOM! is a joyous, exultant evening - sometimes zany, often moving, always surprising - that features tunes made famous by Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Barbra Streisand, Jimmy Webb, Stevie Wonder and others, such as "A Case of You,' "Yesterday," "You've Got a Friend," "Always Something There to Remind Me" and "Blowin' in the Wind." The sisters, who alternate expressive solos with radiant duets, also share heartwarming, humorous stories of their years growing up in Chicago and New York. They are backed by musical director, arranger and pianist Alex Rybeck, bassist Jared Egan, and drummer Ron Tierno, with Rybeck and Egan doubling on background vocals. Their second live CD (following the popular Sibling Revelry), BOOM! brims with a warmth, joy and love that will transport listeners back to a time when the songs on the radio were the soundtrack of life. WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING . . . "The sisters lift these songs to expressive heights rarely attained by any singer." - The New York Times "Their voices blend and soar magestically like eagles, reducing a large number of ringsiders to tears and cheers!" - The New York Observer "Their harmonizing surpasses the sisterly into the sublime." - New York Magazine  PRESENTS THE CALLAWAY SISTERSINBOOM!  Photo: Bill Westmoreland May 3-7, 2011 - Tuesday-Saturday @ 8:30 & 11pm $30 Side Seating, $40 Center Seating At the tables, there is a $10 food/drink minimum per person BIRDLAND 315 West 44th Street - between 8th & 9th Aves For tickets call (212) 581-3080 or go to http://www.birdlandjazz.com ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY AT DIZZY'S CLUB COCA COLA Tuesday-Sunday, March 8-13, 2011 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. A Platinum Award winning songwriter with credits ranging from Barbra Streisand to the television theme from The Nanny, Ann Hampton Callaway is the rare singer with the cachet of a cabaret star, the skill of a seasoned jazz pro, and the wit and timing of a stand-up comedian. Along with her own original songs, her special on-the-spot-made-for-the-audience compositions (always a treat for her guests), and a repertoire that includes clever arrangements of standards such as "Ain't Misbehavin,'" "Isn't It A Pity," "At Last," and "It Never Entered My Mind," the swinging and sultry vocalist always delivers the goods. Plus, you just never know who will join her in an impromptu session on stage. Ann Hampton Callaway, vocals Bill Cunliffe, piano; Peter Washington, bass; Tim Horner, drums General Admission: $30-$35 Students: $15 w/valid student ID on select dates. RESERVE NOW! DIZZY'S CLUB COCA-COLA Frederick P. Rose Hall Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Fl., New York, NY 212-258-9595/9795 or www.jalc.org/dccc NEW CHRISTMAS SONG RECORDED BY MULTI-PLATINUM SELLING ARTIST ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY AVAILABLE ON iTunes. NEW YORK - Jazz and pop diva Ann Hampton Callaway has just released a new, heartwarming Christmas song, YES, VIRGINIA (THERE'S A SANTA CLAUS) composed by the Emmy nominated songwriting team of Wesley Whatley (music) and William Schermerhorn (lyrics). Based on the famed 1897 New York Sun editorial ("Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus") in response to a little girl's question about the existence of the jolly man from the North Pole, this song captures the hope, generosity and childhood spirit of the Christmas season. You will believe! Ms. Callaway's recording is also included on the credit sequence of the recently-released DVD edition of YES VIRGINIA, the animated CBS television special. She will perform the television premiere of YES, VIRGINIA (THERE'S A SANTA CLAUS) during the NBC telecast of the 84th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. CREDITS YES, VIRGINIA (THERE'S A SANTA CLAUS) Music by Wesley Whatley Lyrics by William Schermerhorn Published by Amy Dee Music Corp (ASCAP) Arrangement by Lance Horne The Artists Ann Hampton Callaway, Vocals Cenovia Cummins, Violin Jordan Jancz, Bass Lance Horne, Piano The Technicians Produced by Lance Horne, William Schermerhorn and Wesley Whatley Recorded and Mixed at John Kilgore Sound & Recording, NYC, April 5, 2010 Engineered by John Kilgore Mastered by Mark Kondracki at Outloud Audio, NYC DIVAS ON HUDSON Saturday July 24, 2010 Make your reservations now for our highly anticipated Gala. This year, we're "back-on-hudson" at a beautiful new location overlooking The Hudson River. Come celebrate our most successful season yet and hear the gorgeous singing of this year's collection of Divas. A New Divas Feature! Private wine tasting under the poolside pergola Curated by Jon Stern, wine connoisseur and HSC board member A rare opportunity to taste high end wines from Jon's personal cellar. Tasting runs from 6:30pm until 8:00. Cost for wine tasting-only $25.00! 6:30pm - Private wine tasting - (as detailed above) 7:00pm - Cocktail Party with wine and hor d'oeuvres Bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful grounds and stunning Hudson River view of this beautiful home in Montrose, NY. Take part in our fantastic Silent Auction featuring a dazzling array of Experiences, Broadway House Seats (including Wicked, Billy Elliot, Come Fly Away), Vacation Homes and more! Sunset - A glorious concert under the stars including Liz Callaway & Ann Hampton Callaway. Past divas have included Audra McDonald, Alice Ripley, Andrea McArdle, LaChanze, and so many more! Immediately Following - Post performance coffee and dessert hosted in this spectacular home For more information and to buy tickets - click here The Town Hall presents the world premier of
"For a cabaret enthusiast, it was easy to fall in love with the two of them on the spot. Their voices are different. Ann's is lower and Liz's higher, a shading that works for them extremely well in their duets. So do the engrossing harmonies the two seem to create on the fly" -Peter Leavy, Cabaret Scenes BOOM! featuring LIZ CALLAWAY & ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY Photo: Bill Westmoreland Friday, June 4, 2010 at 8 pm Sisters and Tony-nominated actresses Liz Callaway and Ann Hampton Callaway's show BOOM! celebrates the soundtrack of these sisters' childhood with unforgettable songs from the 60s and 70s. Expect songs made famous by Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Carly Simon, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Webb and Stevie Wonder. The actresses will combine musical forces and share heartwarming, humorous stories of their years growing up in Chicago and New York. Don't miss the chance to see one of today's most celebrated sister acts put their unmistakable stamp on solos and duets of songs such as Got To Get You Into My Life, Up, Up and Away, You've Got A Friend, That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? and Downtown among others. Tickets are $50 & 45. For a printable order form, copy and paste into your browser http://www.the-townhall-nyc.org/docs/SS2010_0F.pdf and write a check, or log on to Ticketmaster, http://www.ticketmaster.comevent03004445E48E7E39artistid=834322&majorcatid=10002&minorcatid=203 or pick up your phone and call TicketMaster at 800/982-2787 or visit The Town Hall Box Office, Mon-Sat, 12 noon to 6 pm. Also, people who get groovy and wear 60's and 70's clothing will receive a $5 discount on all CD sales! Don't miss this unforgettable event! For more information visit our website at www.the-townhall-nyc.org. ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY SWINGS THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK AT DIZZY'S CLUB COCA COLA Tuesday-Sunday, February 16-21, 2010 7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. Don't miss Ann's swinging salute to Mercer, Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers, Kern and Ellington along with lesser known masters like Gene de Paul (You Don't Know What Love Is), Bobby Troup (Route 66) and Bob Hilliard (Wee Small Hours of the Morning). She will be putting her own stamp on these timeless classics as well as celebrating some of the jazz greats who brought these songs into the spotlight of American music. Ann's tribute will be a perfect continuation of the Valentine's mood as the focus will be on love. In two completely different sets each night, audiences will be treated to some of America's finest songs, many which have come from the jazz recordings Ann has made in the last 10 years. And, as always, Ann will improvise a "standard on the spot" based on audience suggestions. Come ready to be her Ira Gershwin! Ann Hampton Callaway, vocals Ted Rosenthal, piano; Peter Washington, bass; Willie Jones III, drums General Admission: $30-$35 Students: $15 w/valid student ID on select dates. RESERVE NOW! DIZZY'S CLUB COCA-COLA Frederick P. Rose Hall Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Fl., New York, NY 212-258-9595/9795 or www.jalc.org/dccc 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."