| Chris Botti's New CD Equals Pure Romance
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For the one or two of you here who may be in search of the perfect romantic album, 42-year old trumpeter Chris Botti's newest CD and, by far his best, more than fills the bill.
The CD, "When I Fall in Love" has just been named the most ordered of all genres at Amazon.com. Ordinarily, I would never recommend a CD for that very reason, but evidently Botti has struck a chord with those who want romantic music, a much neglected area.
Chris Botti, who looks like a cross between Jude Law and a young Sting, has in fact toured with Sting's band and is currently opening for Sting's European tour with his own band.
He is backed by A-list musicians such as one of my favorite bassists, Brian Bromberg, plus Paulinho Da Costa on percussion, Jeff Lorber on keys, Vinnie Calaiuta on drums, and on some songs the London Session Orchestra. Sting and Paula Cole lend vocals on two songs.
The songs are mostly great American songbook selections such as "The Nearness of You" and "Someone to Watch Over Me." My personal favorite is "When I Fall in Love", but Sting's "La Belle Dame Sand Regrets" is growing on me.
Reading over Amazon.com customer reviews of the album, most gave it high praise, but one said Artural Sandoval is a superior trumpeter. I say Arturo Sandoval is a distinctly different trumpeter. Miles Davis is a superior trumpeter, too. Botti has never gone for that style of play. If you are looking for that style, don't buy a Botti CD. He just doesn't serve that audience.
But there is one audience he serves perhaps better than any trumpeter today (Sorry, Rick Braun fans) and that is the soft or smooth jazz crowd, of which I am one. Botti plays with tremendous feeling. I love his phrasing and his dynamics. He truly brings the music on this CD to life. I am reminded of another popular trumpeter from the 1940s and 50s, Harry James.
Yes, being of the feminine gender, I probably do like this album more than most men would, but I am telling you guys if you want to impress your girlfriends or wives, this is one gorgeous Cd for that romantic evening or dinner. That said, my brother-n-law, as macho a guy as any man, was so impressed when I played this at a recent cookout, that he bought it too. See, even guys can appreciate true romance.
I've added this CD to Diana Krall's "The Look of Love" as CDs to play when I want soothing, peaceful, luscious music.
(By the way, Botti has a Christmas CD, "December" made two years ago that is enjoyable, but one can really hear his growth as a musician when one listens to "December" and his latest CD back to back. The growth has been in being able to play with even greater feeling. That may reflect his own personal maturation and experience as much as greater experience musically.)
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"Jazz sounds like a very good blues band that fell down a flight of stairs."
Michael Buble, Canadian standards singer | 
