Captivating Night of Song With Callaway

Ann Hampton Callaway’s opening-night performance at the Cinegrill on Tuesday was an illuminating performance by a jazz-tinged singer-songwriter with a rich range of imaginative musical skills.

Although her name may not ring an immediate bell, millions of television viewers are familiar with at least one of Callaway’s songs--the theme music for the CBS sitcom “The Nanny.” And her lovely tune, “At the Same Time,” is one of the highlights of Barbra Streisand’s “Higher Ground” album.

Less visible as a performing artist, Callaway opened a five-night run at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill with an appearance suggesting that she deserves a lot more attention.

Callaway has generally been best-known as a cabaret artist, performing here last year in an irresistibly humorous duo with her sister, Broadway singer Liz Callaway. But she also, especially in the last few years, has moved convincingly in the direction of jazz, recording her CD “To Ella With Love” in the company of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, pianist Cyrus Chestnut and bassist Christian McBride and working with such sterling players as pianist Kenny Barron and--for this appearance--pianist Bill Cunliffe, drummer Steve Houghton and bassist Joel Hamilton.

Her performance, however, was neither that of a jazz dilettante nor a last-minute jazz arrival. She sang “Body and Soul,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Lady Be Good,” “How High the Moon” and “It Never Entered My Mind”--a program not only difficult but filled with enough significant past references (Ella Fitzgerald for one) to intimidate a less motivated artist.

But Callaway not only survived, she triumphed. Her cabaret experience provided each rendering with a powerful storytelling quality, enriched by her strong sense of swing, her imaginative improvisational skills and her rare ability to enrich her interpretations with colorful tonal variations.

As a result, the ballads in particular came alive, with “My Funny Valentine” and “It Never Entered My Mind” emerging as convincing musical dramas, so effective that they created a hushed, receptive response from Callaway’s enthusiastic listeners. On the faster numbers, she demonstrated a persuasive ability to scat-sing within the moving harmonies of a tune.

It was an illuminating appearance by a multitalented artist.

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* Ann Hampton Callaway at the Cinegrill in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Through Saturday at 8 p.m. (213) 466-7000.