Interview: Ann Hampton Callaway at Tanglewood

Ann Hampton Callaway was nominated in the "Best Supporting Actress in a Musical" category, for her work in "Swing".  She has won more MAC(Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Club) awards than anyone, ever.  She is a multi-platinum selling recording artist, and has been heard by untold millions singing the theme song to "The Nanny", which she also wrote.

On August 22, 2006 Telarc released "Blues In the Night", her first album on their label. It is an album of mostly, jazz and blues standards.  Sondheim's "No one is alone" is also included, as is "The I'm-Too-White-To-Sing-The-Blues Blues" and a duet with her sister, Liz Callaway.

On September 2, she performed as part of a tribute to Johnny Mercer at the 2006 Tanglewood Jazz Festival, which is where we spoke.

Randy Rice:  Tell me how you got on this bill [with Dr. John, Catherine Russell, John Pizzarelli and Irma Thomas.

Ann Hampton Callaway:  I really don't know. (laughs)  I did the River to River Festival in New York, about a month ago, and sang with Dr. John.  I had a great time.  I always loved his singing.  In fact, I wanted to record with him a couple of years ago.  I really don't know how I got on the booking.  I guess having a new blues album out, "Blues In The Night", maybe they thought of me as an interesting pairing with Dr. John.  I love him, not only as a musician, but as a person, he is such a sweetie-pie.

RR:  Has your new album been well received?

AHC:  Yeah, so far, I have gotten wonderful reviews.  It is my first release with Telarc.  It is not just a Blues album.  I didn't want to do just a bunch of mopey songs so I did an interesting combination of Swing and Blues.  Sort of about the theme of "Happiness".  How do we find it? How do we lose it? How do we get it back? I had Diva, The Jazz Orchestra [play on it], and my sister [Liz Callaway] got to sing a number on it, too.  It seems to be doing very well.

RR:  You are a very commercial artist, in the sense that you will work in many genres, doing many things.  I was looking at your website, I think it is your "official" website.

AHC:  I think my "official" website is the only one out there.  If I am that famous; to have fan sites, I don't know about it.

RR:  I saw that you actually put yourself out there as a jingle writer.

AHC:  I am not a snob about music.  I am very creative.  I like to have fun.  I like to try new things. If someone needs a song, I can write it for them. It was fun writing "The Nanny".  I just wrote a song about Dizzy's [Club Coca Cola] that I am premiering opening night in New York.  In fact, Irma Thomas and I were in the limousine and we were talking about younger men and what she says to them.  She said she says "Thank your mama", and I thought I should write a song about that, "Thank your Mama".

RR:  Tell me the difference between touring as a blues singer and doing Broadway.

AHC:  As much as I would like to do a book show, a scripted show, I was pretty much playing myself on Broadway.  I created my own character, picked my own music.  It was almost like a club act on Broadway, almost, though with a lot more discipline and a lot more planning.  Many of the singers that I talk to get asked those same questions, "What is more important to you?", "Who are you, really?".  Most of us love to sing and love to sing all kinds of music in different settings.  I like creating intimacy in huge amphitheater like Tanglewood.  I hope when I walk out on stage and sing with Dr. John that people will feel like they are in a little room and that they are getting something personal.  That is what I tried to create on Broadway and that is what I try to create, whether I am in a little, tiny cabaret, or smoky jazz club, or a place like Tanglewood.

RR:  Speaking of venues, do you know of anyone who has sang with more Gay Men's Choruses than you have?

AHC:  (Laughs)  I hope not.  I certainly hope not.  That is just the biggest love-fest.  I mean, you can only imagine.

RR:  I think that the late Nell Carter might have had a few more Gay Men's Chorus gigs than you, but I think you are going to surpass her.

AHC:  I haven't done one in a while, though.  It has been quite a while, actually.  I think it was the Gateway Gay Men's Chorus in St. Louis was the last one I did.  Of course at the cocktail party, they kept pouring the cosmopolitans and I thought "It has been a while since I have been corrupted like this".  It takes a Gay chorus to do that for you.

RR:  I have never heard you sing in person before I am excited to hear you.

AHC:  A Callaway virgin, I am de-flowering you.  How exciting.  Well, this is the "before" and I will have to give you a cigarette for the "after the show".  Catherine Russell is great, too.  I had heard of her, but I hadn't heard her sing until I did the show with Dr. John in New York. She is just wonderful, and such a lovely person.  And Irma, Irma Thomas is everything and more.  We have had a really great time today.  That is one of the great things about doing a show like this, to be invited to sing with several artists, that you get to hang with them.  John Pizzarelli and I have been singing together a lot lately.  We both did the Toronto Jazz Festival and we both sang at Tony Bennett's 80th birthday party in D.C.  It has been great to get to spend some time with him.

RR:  Thanks for your time.  I am going to get back to my seat, so I can see the rest of the show.

AHC:  Thanks for stopping by.

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