Perpetually inspiring in tone and underrated for her delivery, Ann Hampton Callaway delivers yet another strong, swinging and freshly directed collection of standards, this time focused on themes from the silver screen. She’s supported by the strong accompaniment of Ted Rosenthal/p, Martin Wind/b, Tim Horner/dr and Jimmy Greene/ts-ss, and the arrangements by herself, Rosenthal and John Proulx are simply delightful.
With Green on rich tenor, Callaway bops with joy on “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” and is graceful on a deep and patient “The Way You Look Tonight.” Wind is sly on “This Can’t Be Love” and some nice brush work by Horner teams with Rosenthal on a reflective “The Folks Who Live On the Hill.” With Greene switching to soprano, Callaway is wonderfully expressive on a swinging “Just One of Those Things” and is able to switch gears with a gorgeous aria teamed with Rosenthal on her dimly lit intro to “Long Ago and Far Away.” The delight here is in the creative delivery, and Callaway is as polished and sharp as fins on a ’61 Caddy.