Ann Hampton Callaway: Keeper of the Flame

One would think that any cabaret artist would be proud to rest on her laurels after earning fourteen MAC Awards, two Backstage Bistro Awards, and a Nightlife Award, not to mention a Tony Award nomination and a Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut. But Ann Hampton Callaway has never been one to sit still, and between opening the new Cosmopolitan Club in Pennsylvania, preparing for a new gig at the legendary Blue Note and creating a new television program for Chicago television that will begin on the same night, she is blazing new trails in the music world, always creating something new.

A master of three art forms, Callaway is equally at home performing in a jazz club, a cabaret room or a Broadway stage, a quality she credits to her sister, fellow Tony-nominee and frequent collaborator Liz. As a child, she recalls, music was such a regular part of her life that it seemed an integral part of her family. "Having a musical family makes me realize how much music creates family," she says. "My mother made music seem like the most wonderful, natural thing in the world. Music was like breathing. It feels like part of life." That love of music is what she hopes to extend to her audience, making them her own family during the performance. "The sense of family that I feel with my audience reduces any sense that there are strangers out there," Callaway says.

"I sing songs that I need to sing," she continues. "The lyrics have to express something I feel or believe at the time.  My shows and my CDs are, in essence, portraits of where I am in my life, regardless of whether or not there is a theme.  People have come to know me over the years because of this- they've shared my heartbreaks and my joys through the songs I sing.  When I sculpt a show for symphony concerts, theaters or jazz clubs, I try to share as many facets of who I am as possible, so there is a full emotional range of joy, sorrow, longing, hilarity and everything in between.  I also like to include the great American standards and the songs I have written so it is personal and unique and there is an element of surprise."

As well as a highly lauded performer, Callaway is also an acclaimed composer-- in fact, she is the only composer ever to have collaborated with Cole Porter, having written the officially-recognized music for his lyrics to "I Gaze In Your Eyes." "Bradshaw Smith found the lyric in The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter and asked me to do the honors in 1986," she recalls.  Years later, she played the song for Ben Bagley, who was producing a CD of Cole Porter songs. Bagley sent the song to the head of the Porter estate, who was so moved by her work that he agreed to publicly recognize it and publish it. "I consider it one of my greatest honors to have collaborated with one of America's great geniuses and a lifelong inspiration," she says.

Another great achievements in Callaway's career was the 1999 musical dance revue Swing!, for which she earned a Theatre World Award and a Tony nomination. "Not only did I get to star in a Broadway show, which was a lifelong dream," she remembers happily, "but I got to help create it by choosing songs for it, arranging songs, writing songs and adding specialty lyrics to existing standards to make them more theatrical.  I loved the cast and the feeling of family that my sister had always talked about. Getting a Tony nomination and winning the Theater World Award was icing on a wonderful cake.  It almost didn't happen," she recalls, "because for six months the producers were looking for an Ann Hampton Callaway type.  I'm glad they finally broke down and called Ann Hampton Callaway!"

The next milestone in her career is about to launch: a new television series in Chicago that celebrates music and musicians. "About 6 years ago," she says, "I dreamed of hosting a TV show similar to Inside the Actor's Studio where the subject would be great singers and great songs. After several frustrated attempts, I finally hooked up with a wonderful producer named Fawn Ring at the Chicago affiliate of PBS, WTW, where my father has done some legendary broadcasting.  Fawn loved my concept and sold the station on the idea of creating a TV pilot and gala on the same day at their studio, a brilliant win-win scenario for all parties.  Liza Minnelli agreed to be my first guest so I hit the jackpot and the result was sheer magic.  The night I open at The Blue Note, the half hour show will air as a TV special in Chicago.  The head of WTTW has green lighted the series we now call "Singer's Spotlight with Ann Hampton Callaway" for an aggressive fundraising campaign.  One we get the necessary backing from Foundations, corporations and private donors we will tape the rest of the first season and air in as a national show on PBS."  Tony Bennett, Barbara Cook, Audra McDonald, Melissa Manchester and Dianne Reeves have all agreed to be on the show. "I couldn't be happier about it all," Callaway says.

And coming up next is her four-night engagement at the legendary Blue Note jazz club, which opens on Thursday and runs until Sunday. "I love the Blue Note because of its history and its international following," she says. "Since I will be returning from my debuts in the jazz festivals of Pori, Finland and both San Javier and San Sebastian, Spain, there will likely be a bit of an international spin and some fun stories to share.  I will do Al Jarreau's classic "Spain" and a few other songs from my European tour.  I'll also be doing selections from "Blues in the Night", my latest CD as well as premiering some new Ann Hampton Callaway originals that I hope to record in November.  I'm doing a few songs to celebrate the pleasures of summer like "Lazy Afternoon."  And my sets always close with an improv so audiences can help me write a new song by calling out words and phrases.  My amazing trio of Ted Rosenthal on piano, Jay Leonhart on drums and Victor Lewis on drums will also be on hand to do songs I call out on the spot and accompany a few guest artists who will be coming by throughout the week.  I like the looseness of jazz clubs," she continues. "A theme isn't necessary.  It's about being in each moment and making the most powerful connection with each song and each audience."

With so many different hats on her head, it seems amazing that Callaway has such abundant energy and enthusiasm. "I hope I will continue to grow as a singer, an actress, a lyricist, a composer, an entertainer and an educator," she says.  "Creating my TV show will be my next big challenge, and will be a great way to support my mission to be a keeper of the flame of America's great legacy of timeless music.  I am writing songs for a movie called "State of Affairs" and hope to do more work as a singer, actress and a writer in film.  We live in uncertain times," she concludes. "I want to be one of the people in music who can always be turned to when we need beauty and inspiration.  Music connects us with our hearts and with each other like nothing else."

Visit www.annhamptoncallaway.com for more information.

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