Ann Hampton Callaway: The Best of Ann Hampton Callaway

Post author:Candace Leeds
Post published: September 30, 2025
Reading time:2 mins read

Ann Hampton Callaway

The Best of Ann Hampton Callaway

54 Below, NYC, September 25, 2025

Reviewed by Candace Leeds

Ann Hampton Callaway is a genuine powerhouse in the world of jazz and cabaret, renowned for her vocal artistry, interpretive depth, and magnetic stage presence. Her The Best of Ann Hampton Callaway show at 54 Below was a triumph, capturing the audience immediately with her opening song “Love Is Here to Stay” (George & Ira Gershwin). Her music director/pianist Tedd Firth, along with Dean Johnson on bass and Tim Horner on drums, added to the musical joy of the evening. Throughout the show, her expressive vocal range, emotional connection to the music, and charm had the audience in the palm of her hand.

Callaway shared stories about her musical beginnings, which began with her parents. Her father was a jazz lover and journalist who had a great record collection, and her mother sang and played torch songs. “Singing changed my life,” she said.

Throughout the show, she explained how she would study the music and the styles of some of her favorite singers as she built her own career. At age 7, she was “mesmerized by a Barbra Streisand album,” and became a student of her work. She also studied Streisand’s unique singing style in the movie Funny Girl. “Whatever this girl was doing, I analyzed,” she said. She also told us that “Ella (Fitzgerald) taught me how to scat,” and that she became enthralled with Carole King’s album, Tapestry. That was the turning point that inspired her to pursue songwriting as well as performing.

Throughout her career, she has collaborated in writing songs with some of the greats, including Barbra Streisand and Carole King. She introduced the song “Fever” by noting that Peggy Lee’s work gave her the idea of doing concept albums, in which all the music is connected by a central theme.

Callaway clearly learned her lessons well. The emotional highs of the evening included heartfelt presentations of “Desperado” (Glenn Frey/Don Henley), “Misty” (Johnny Burke/Paul Francis Webster), and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” (Carole King/Gerry Goffin). She brought the house down with “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (Jule Style/Bob Merrill) and “Being Alive” (Stephen Sondheim). She concluded her show with two hopeful songs about peace and love: “Imagine” (John Lennon/Yoko Ono) and her own “At the Same Time.”

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Candace Leeds

Candace Leeds has been steeped in the world of music since the age of twelve, when she enrolled in Juilliard to study voice and prepare for a professional career. After 15 years of music studies, she moved into entertainment management at New York's Town Hall, where she produced concerts and served as Associate Director. Her writing and marketing skills led to senior positions in major public relations firms, including the PR arm of Grey Advertising and The Rowland Company, which became part of Saatchi and Saatchi. For the past two decades, she served as Vice President of Public Affairs at the multi-billion dollar conglomerate, Loews Corporation, and now has her own marketing consulting company. While pursuing her business career, she continued her music involvement, studying cabaret and occasionally performing in local New York venues. Candace is an accomplished writer whose work has appeared in the New York Daily News, TV World, and many others.