Singing at Catalina’s Jazz Club in Los Angeles recently, Ann Hampton Callaway hit a point in the song, Here’s that Rainy Day, when something scary happened.
“I know that I’m in that moment and it’s so overwhelming — what is going to happen next? Callaway says.
By jazz standards, Callaway is right where she should be, hanging by a cleft note waiting to see where the music takes her.
“When you’re able to do that, and put your imagination and heart and soul on the line, it means the song comes alive,” she says, “It doesn’t for people who sing the pretty melody and the nice words.
“Those of us who do the work, it just adds another level of emotion to the performance and to the music and people who don’t expect to be crying or finding themselves really moved,” she adds. “That to me is when music is its most exciting.”
Callaway hasn’t really played it safe since she graduated from high school, lasted a semester in college before moving to New York. She doesn’t expect to change in making her first appearance at the upcoming Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival, Sept. 2-4, in Palm Springs.
Palm Springs Life caught up with Callaway by phone to talk about her career path, Palm Springs, and singing jazz.
Can I ask what made you leave the University of Illinois after such a short time?
Ann: Well, they had an interesting philosophy. There was a new acting program that had come up, and there were teachers teaching who were frustrated performers. Their philosophy, they told us the first day, only 1 percent of actors work, so we’re going to weed out all the weaklings here today. By this end of this, there will only be a few of you left standing. They were really mean-spirited people, and to me I chose an acting program because I knew I was a natural actress. I wanted to learn the craft and art of acting, and I wanted to learn the technique.
I knew that being an actress naturally and having to learn technique would make for an awkward period of ‘how do I do this again and how do I find my motivation’. If you weren’t brilliant immediately, they were extremely mean and I had some very bizarre experiences there. So I just realized it was not the right place for me, and I quit college and moved to New York. I started my own education and three days later I got a singing job. I’ve been singing ever since and I never had to do anything else but sing. That was very lucky in a way, but it took a lot of gumption and a lot of sheer determination.
In hindsight, are you happy with the decision you made and the way your career has unfolded?
Ann: Yes, yes, I am happy with it. There were many, many, many frustrations when I moved to New York. I made a record about a year after I arrived and then the record company folded and it was never released. I had lots of things happen to me like that where people were, ‘Oh you’re so wonderful, we’re going to do this with you.’ Just millions of promises that didn’t happen and millions of disappointments.
If I hadn’t just really loved music, I don’t know what else I would’ve done, but it would’ve been really easy for someone else to say, ‘you know what, this isn’t working out. I think I’ll try something safer.’ I just loved it too much, I couldn’t do anything else. My career has been an example of just working steadily and growing and challenging yourself, and saying yes and trying things that you’re maybe not ready to do, and getting better as a result of it and working with people that stretch you.
PHOTOS BY BILL WESTMORELAND
Ann Hampton Callaway: “I feel like I’m a good singer to introduce people to jazz because I’m a good communicator and entertainer as well as being a jazz singer.”
Why did you pick jazz music?
Ann: Jazz is just very natural to me. I am a person who loves improvisation. One of the things I’ll be doing in my show is improvising a song based on audience suggestions. I like being sort-of able to be in the moment completely with other musicians. That to me is one of the fundamental qualities of jazz. It makes it a music that I am so naturally, my disposition is so well made for.
Also the language of jazz, the harmonic language of jazz is so rich and so beautiful. Once you get spoiled into falling in love with those chords and those wonderful rhythms and the freedom, to me it’s a perfect music that America introduced into the world because it is the language of freedom and it’s a language of self expression and a language of the moment.
What can we expect of your show here?
Ann: I put together a show that honors my favorite women jazz singers and some of my favorite women song writers. Since it’s a women’s theme, I thought I would sort-of go in that direction. Then we have a rehearsal day of the performance. They already have my music and we’re talking across the way to get them ready for it.
I love Dee Dee Bridgewater. She’s one of my favorite jazz singers. An example of somebody who is an actress and not just a jazz singer. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to hanging out with my buddies and making new friends who are lovers of the music.
Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Fest, Sept. 2-4, www.lucyandgail.com