Ann Hampton CALLAWAY - Blues in the Night 2006

Ann Hampton CALLAWAY - Blues in the Night 2006
Label: Telarc

Jazz

On this album, jazz-cabaret singer-songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway pays tribute to her hometown Chicago's best-known musical export, the blues, though her take is largely devoid of that genre's pared-down grit, instead exploring two of its offshoots: a sophisticated, elusive melancholy and upbeat, horn-heavy swing jazz. Callaway's penchant for the latter is evidenced by the jumping opening track, "Swingin' Away the Blues" and the percolating "Lover Come Back to Me"
(on which she integrates her trademark scat singing). A "blue" mood is evoked on, for instance, "Blue Moon" and a not-entirely-convincing take on Sondheim's "No One Is Alone." But Callaway is also among the rare performers in the cabaret scene to write some of her own material, and she obliges here as well, with good results on the humorous "The I'm-Too-White-to-Sing-the-Blues Blues" (on which she emulates brass instruments) and "Hip to Be Happy."
By Elisabeth Vincentelli.
**
Ann Hampton Callaway is not your typical jazz songbird. For one thing, she's an accomplished and award-winning songwriter, which is unusual in a field dominated by interpreters. But what's most surprising is her voice -- it's a low alto instrument with a rich, dark, butterscotchy tone, and when she gets way down into her lower range the effect can be downright startling. Her latest album is a pleasing mixture of originals and standards, some performed with a small combo that includes bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash, others with the all-female Diva Jazz Orchestra. The big-band pieces pack the most wallop, which is no surprise given both the quality of the band and the fact that the arrangements were written by the great Tommy Newsom; a powerhouse rendition of her own "Swingin' Away the Blues" opens the program with a serious bang, and her small-scale but equally powerful take on the chestnut "Blue Moon" carries the energy forward nicely. The rest of the album is a mix of tender ballads and vibrant uptempo numbers, most with a theme related to the blues, either in a mood of resigned acceptance ("Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most," "Willow Weep for Me") or defiant opposition (the Callaway original "Hip to Be Happy"). She imbues most of these songs with a smoldering, torchy quality that brings new energy to old material, and her new songs stand up very nicely next to the established standards. Highly recommended.
By Rick Anderson, All Music Guide.
**
Ann Hampton Callaway- (Vocals);
David Gilmore- (Guitar);
Ted Rosenthal- (Piano);
Christian McBride- (Bass);
Lewis Nash- (Drums).
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01. Swingin' Away the Blues 3:31
02. Blue Moon 5:40
03. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most 6:22
04. Lover Come Back to Me 3:24
05. Stormy Weather/When the Sun Comes Out 5:14
06. I'm-Too-White-To-Sing-The-Blues Blues 3:43
07. Willow Weep for Me 6:21
08. Hip to Be Happy 2:45
09. It's All Right with Me 5:55
10. No One Is Alone 4:35
11. Blues in the Night 4:51
12. Glory of Love 3:08
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