Ann Hampton CALLAWAY - To Ella With Love 1996

Ann Hampton CALLAWAY - To Ella With Love 1996

Jazz-cabaret chanteuse Ann Hampton Callaway pays tribute to the First Lady of Song in To Ella with Love, a 1996 recording re-released in 1999 as a companion to her small-ensemble album, Easy Living. Here Callaway is supported by a full band anchored by pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Lewis Nash, while Wynton Marsalis sits in for two numbers. "How High the Moon" begins in a loping gait before catching fire and including the inevitable scat solo. While Callaway doesn't include any of her own songs among this collection of standards, it's one of her best albums.
By David Horiuchi.
**
For a young, white, contemporary singer to attempt the tunes of the legendary Ella would seem impossible and vaguely insulting and it would be if all she did was attempt but Ann Hampton Callaway succeeds. And Lord how she swings! Turn down the lights, stir up the fire and let the sound wrap around you like a soft, warm blanket. Jazz at its best cuts to the emotions like laser and the Callaway variety burns brighter than any other living singer. You should have this CD. If you don't there is a big hole in your life but you can fill it with a single decision. Buy "To Ella: With Love."
**
Ann Hampton Callaway has a strong reputation as one of the top cabaret singers of the 1990's but, unlike most others in that idiom, she is also a talented jazz singer. Callaway, who has a beautiful voice with a wide range, always swings while giving strong emphasis to the lyrics she is interpreting. Her ambitious and successful Ella Fitzgerald tribute uses on some songs a string section (recorded in Estonia), an American big band, a trio consisting of pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash and (On "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me" and "How High The Moon") guest trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. Although Callaway does not sound that much like Ella, she pays tribute to the First Lady of Song through her repertoire (14 superior standards), phrasing and joyful swing. Highpoints include "A Fine Romance," "But Not For Me," an emotional "Little Girl Blue" and a stomping rendition of "Lady Be Good." This is a highly recommended elease that both serves as a memorial to Ella and as a strong introduction for jazz listeners to Ann Hampton Callaway.
By Scott Yanow. AMG.
**
Ann Hampton Callaway- (Vocals);
Wynton Marsalis- (Trumpet);
Cyrus Chestnut- (Piano);
Christian McBride- (Bass);
Lewis Nash- (Drums).
**
01. Let's Fall In Love (2:48)
02. Do Nothin' Til You Hear From Me (3:54)
03. A Fine Romance (3:39)
04. Embraceable You (5:02)
05. How High The Moon (5:11)
06. But Not For Me (4:28)
07. I'm Beginning To See The Light (3:33)
08. Body and Soul (5:09)
09. That Old Black Magic (3:12)
10. Little Girl Blue (5:42)
11. Lullaby Of Birdland (3:40)
12. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye (4:51)
13. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (5:11)
14. Oh, Lady Be Good (3:29)
**
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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).
**
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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