Chris Botti Live with Orchestra & Special Friends

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jfm

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Genre: Jazz
Studio: Sony
DVD Release Date: August 22, 2006
Available Audio Tracks: LPCM Stereo, DD 5.1

Chris gained fame as a member of Sting’s touring band, but he was already well-known to jazz listeners. In this DVD (there’s also a CD, in fact there’s a combo DVD-CD), he is recorded live together with his kick*ss band, which includes double Grammy winner Billy Childs on keyboards and the hyperkinetic Billy Kilson on drums. They play together with an orchestra and some of Sting’s singer-friends, who provide a wide range of vocal styles.

There’s Renee Olstead singing beyond her years, Paul Buchanan pouring his heart out, Jill Scott delivering her rousing poetry, Paula Cole stretching out on standards, Gladys Night demonstrating power and control, and Burt Bacharach on keyboards playing his own tune, “The Look of Love.” Heading the list is Sting, providing ample justification for being called the new Chairman of the Board.

Then there’s Chris himself, playing mostly standards and showcasing the smooth tone he generates on his trumpet. About two months ago I sat in the second row in a Botti concert. As he does at every concert, Chris went down from the stage to play a tune for a member of the audience (like on that evening, he usually chooses a good-looking woman). He does this to demonstrate that, although the trumpet was invented for military purposes, the sound coming from his trumpet can also be soft and romantic. I was right behind the woman he was playing to; there were moments during that song (My Funny Valentine) that his trumpet was pointed straight at me, so I became familiar with how it should sound on record.

And how does it sound on MLs? Quite good, spectacular even. Of course no speaker can capture the entire dynamic envelope of live instruments or voices, so the trumpet's softest notes and the loudest ones are not captured completely, but we aren’t very far with these speakers. Overall, great audio, video, and performances on this disc.
 

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Fourplay

Yes, this chris Botti dvd is excellent. Another oe to try is An Evening with FourPlay.

Bob James, Nathan East, Larry carlton, and Harvey Mason. Good set of music and decent dynamics.
 
BluRay

This concert on BluRay is the business! The colour saturation, the resolution, the deep blacks are sensational.

You can even see how crappy the wide shot camera and lens are compared to the better gear used up front.

Of course the concert is tremendous, hearing a new take on Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love" is fun, watching Chris Botti counterpoint the various singers' voices is a joy.

This is a 'must have' concert of his in my books.

fjeff
 

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