Review: Ann Hampton Callaway Is FINDING BEAUTY (and more fans) at Dizzy's

I remember seeing an interview with George Burns, the beloved entertainer who worked for many decades in vaudeville, night clubs, TV, etc.  Asked about what it takes to become a successful performer, he replied, “The most important thing in this business is sincerity…..  If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”  Well, the successful Ann Hampton Callaway doesn’t have to fake it.  She’s one of those stars who radiates sincerity, empathy, concern for the human condition and the planet, as well as a belief in the power of love – evident in the way she sings and in the songs she writes. She’s at Dizzy’s in the Jazz at Lincoln Center building, finishing up a run with two shows on tonight (Saturday) and two more on Sunday.  Following that, she’s singing with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Boston, has a show in Virginia, and then is singing on the high seas on cruise to South America.  Here in New York City, her performance was smooth sailing.  This show, titled Finding Beauty: Inspired Classics and Originals featured familiar fare from favorite pop/folk singer-songwriters circa 1970 and material from her most recent release, Finding Beauty: Originals, Volume 1.  It’s her first collection devoted completely to songs she wrote or co-wrote.  Many earlier CDs had a few of those, but more of her oeuvre presents covers of American Songbook standards.  Contrastingly, she calls the ones she creates alone or in collaboration “ANNdards” and joking explains that those are “the ones most people don’t know because I aspire to obscurity.”    

She was in splendid voice, the rich and strong tones wrapped in velvet were indeed warm examples of “finding beauty” in music and observations. The set prominently featured nine of the CD’s 16 selections (a few of which are re-recordings), starting with the title tune and ending with the humanity-embracing “At the Same Time.”  Passion throbs through her singing and writing, sometimes building in a storm of intensity.  This lady doesn’t cut corners.  She unhesitatingly owns sentimental sensitivity that others would shirk from approaching. But Ann Hampton Callaway is comfortable wearing her heart on her sequined sleeve.  She’s also sure to credit and compliment collaborators on this material, including Alan Bergman (“Forever and a Day,” a treasuring of long-term relationships) and Melissa Manchester (“New Eyes”).  

In the jazz mecca called Dizzy’s, A.H.C. is also very much a jazz singer in the company of jazz musicians.  She indulges in some impressive scat-singing and takes some subtle liberties with notes.  The excellent trio consists of: Ted Rosenthal on piano on stage right; in the middle, Martin Wind on bass; and Tim Horner in the corner on drums. The instrumental breaks weren’t self-indulgent in length or showboating.  They added the variety of adding some muscle to material that could risk being too fragile if the tender aspects were exploited and expanded instead.  Arguably, the chosen mix might suggest that being open to expressing feelings is a sign of strength and confidence.  

Carole King’s mega-hit album Tapestry is a purchase that Ann Hampton Callaway says she made on a whim in her youth, just because she thought the cover picture “looked interesting.”  And, she tells us, “It changed my life.” Her slow-burning, worried, vulnerable approach of one of its memorable inclusions, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?,” is masterful, a million mature miles away from the teenage girl mindset projected in the earlier record hit by The Shirelles and going the extra mile in being more ruminative than the King-size concern.  Also on the bill was Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” getting some extra mileage in jazz, driven with scat-singing. 

As far as audience participation goes — singing along with the star and/or clapping in rhythm  — I seem to be in the minority: I kind of hate it. I just don’t need that kind of forced involvement to feel involved.  And I don’t want to hear a bunch of average Joes and Joannas singing or shouting the words with questionable rhythm with limited pitch or pith.  But the latter part of the program found Ann and the Ann fans becoming a choir, very much encouraged by her.  It worked best for the feeling fostered by the message of the anthem “Love and Let Love,” to indicate support and acceptance for LGBTQ+ partnering in this number written with Michele Brourman.  But I could have lived without the frequent prompts to chime in on certain lines of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” and another Carole King classic, “You’ve Got a Friend,” with the added request to wave lighted cell phone screens like candles in a rock show arena.  Around this time, an audience member rushed up to the stage to proclaim there was an anniversary being celebrated and we were asked to sing “Happy Anniversary” to them, with their names included, to the tune of “Happy Birthday.” 

Whether she’s singing standards or "Anndards", jazz, pop-rock, or even “Happy Anniversary,” I am more than happy to be in the company of glorious-voiced Ann Hampton Callaway.  

Ticket's to this show are available online here.

You can find more of Ann Hampton Callaway's upcoming shows and social media on her website at www.annhamptoncallaway.com.

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