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
Tracklist
1 Swingin' Away The Blues 3:29
Arranged By – Tommy Newsom
2 Blue Moon 5:37
Arranged By – Andy Farber, Ann Hampton Callaway
Written-By – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
3 Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most 6:19
Arranged By – Ann Hampton Callaway, Bill Mays
Written-By – Frances Landesman, Tomas Wolf
4 Lover Come Back To Me 3:23
Arranged By – Tommy Newsom
Written-By – Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg
5 Stormy Weather / When The Sun Comes Out 5:13
Arranged By – Alex Rybeck, Ann Hampton Callaway
Written-By – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
6 The I'm-Too-White-To-Sing-The-Blues Blues 3:41
Arranged By – Matt Cattingub
Written-By – Ann Hampton Callaway
7 Willow Weep For Me 6:18
Arranged By – Ann Hampton Callaway, Bill Mays
Written-By – Ann Ronell
8 Hip To Be Happy 2:43
Arranged By – Bill Mays
Arranged By, Written-By – Ann Hampton Callaway
9 It's All Right With Me 5:52
Arranged By – Ann Hampton Callaway, Bill Mays
Written-By – Cole Porter
10 No One Is Alone 4:32
Arranged By – Ann Hampton Callaway, Bill Mays
Written-By – Stephen Sondheim
11 Blues In The Night 4:50
Arranged By – Harold Wheeler, Jack Everly
Written-By – Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
12 The Glory Of Love 3:08
Arranged By – Ann Hampton Callaway, Rodney Jones
Written-By – Bill Hill
Credits
Bass – Christian McBride
Drums – Lewis Nash
Guitar – David Gilmore
Lead Vocals – Ann Hampton Callaway
Orchestra – Sherrie Maricle And The Diva Jazz Orchestra
(tracks: 1, 4, 6, 11)
Piano – Ted Rosenthal
Producer – Ann Hampton Callaway, Elaine Martone
Vocals – Liz Callaway
ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY - Blues in the Night
[2006] Telarc [24-192] SACD / FLAC / scans
O Púbis da Rosa
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