Ann Hampton Callaway and Tito Puente, Jr. Debut at The Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center This Month

Tony nominee Ann Hampton Callaway, one of the leading pop/jazz singers of our time, has created an exciting night of songs and stories in celebration of her inspiration and one of America's most beloved artists, Peggy Lee. On the heels of Ann's Streisand Songbook symphonic triumph, this show celebrates the 100th birthday of the trailblazing woman who gave the world "Fever" through six decades of iconic songs from sultry to sizzling. Fall under the spell of love songs from Peggy's swinging Benny Goodman days through decades of hits from film and recordings that earned this iconic singer-songwriter her powerhouse nickname, "The female Frank Sinatra."

Ann Hampton Callaway is one of the leading champions of the great American Songbook, having made her mark as a singer, pianist, composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, educator, TV host and producer. A born entertainer, her unique singing style blends jazz and traditional pop, making her a mainstay in concert halls, theaters and jazz clubs as well as in the recording studio, on television, and in film. She is best known for Tony-nominated performance in the hit Broadway musical Swing! and for writing and singing the theme song to the hit TV series The Nanny. Callaway is a Platinum Award winning writer whose songs are featured on seven of Barbra Streisand's recent CD's. The only composer to have collaborated with Cole Porter, she has also written songs with Carole King, Rolf Lovland and Barbara Carroll to name a few.

Callaway's live performances showcase her warmth, spontaneous wit and passionate delivery of standards, jazz classics and originals. She is one of America's most gifted improvisers, taking words and phrases from her audiences and creating songs on the spot, whether alone at a piano or with a symphony orchestra. Ann has been a special guest performer with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall and Tanglewood and is featured at many of the Carnegie Hall tributes. Ann resides in New York. She lives by the creed best expressed in the Andre Gide quote: "Art is the collaboration between God and the artist and the less the artist does, the better."

She has received fifteen MAC Awards from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs

Son of the legendary American salsa and Latin jazz musician Tito Puente, Tito Puente, Jr. has big shoes to fill. And boy does he! Tito Puente, Jr. returns to South Florida for another night of exhilarating Latin rhythms that will get your feet moving. Always honoring his father's legacy, Tito Puente, Jr. has also made a name for himself as one of the most exciting Latin musicians touring today. Puente, Jr. has performed in over 300 shows in a variety of venues across the country, from jazz festival stages to grand symphony halls.

The comparison is inevitable. How could it be otherwise? Tito Puente Jr. carries his father with him - imprinted on his physical being and locked in his soul. It's in his looks, his joy, and his music. Tito, Jr. is on a passionate mission. The younger Puente is determined to nurture the musical legacy left by his father. He refuses to let his father become a distant memory. "He was just too vibrant, too exciting. There was magic in the music my father made. It made people happy all over the world." He has found captive audiences who echo his passion. Crowds lured to a venue by the father are returning to see the son - and to once again participate in the high voltage celebration that takes place on stage. Tito Puente, Jr. has become an audience favorite in casinos, performing arts centers, symphony halls and jazz festivals worldwide, performing more than 300 shows over the past 5 years.

His 2004 album, "In My Father's Shoes" featured the classic Puente titles and was spun into a BET Jazz television special of the same name. He was seen in a tribute to his father's music on NBC's two hour special-"The Apollo at 70: A Hot Night in Harlem." He has also appeared on the ABC soap opera hit "One Life to Live" in performance with his big band. Symphony appearances include Dallas, San Antonio, Colorado, South Bend, and upcoming performances with the Palm Desert Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. Tito, Jr.'s new CD release, "Got Mambo?" is a mixture of the old and the new as he takes a musical departure into some powerful new music he can truly call his own.

The Rrazz Room Presents Fall 2022 Season:

Ann Hampton Callaway Fever! The Peggy Lee Century
Sunday, November 13 at 7pm

Tito Puente, Jr. Holiday Mambo Party
Saturday, November 26 at 7pm

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