Chris Botti When I Fall In Love CD

Live Recording

Personnel: Chris Botti (vocals, trumpet); Chris Botti; Jill Zadeh (vocals); Mitch Dalton (acoustic guitar); Fiona Hibbert (harp); Julian Leaper, Dave Woodcock, Deborah Widdup, Jonathan Evans Jones, Maciej Rakowski, Tom Bowes, Paul Willey, Rolf Wilson, Steve Morris, Roger Garland, Patrick Kiernan, Boguslaw Kostecki, Rita Manning, Kenneth Sillito, Cathy Thompson, Jackie Shave (violin); Ivo Jan Vanderwerff, Vicci Wardman, Edward Vanderspar, George Robertson, Peter Lale, Bruce White (viola); Frank Schaefer, David Daniels , Caroline Dearney, Paul Kegg, Anthony Lewis , Anthony Pleeth (cello); Karen Jones, Helen Keen, Stan Sulzmann, Philip Todd (flute, alto flute); Andy Panayi (bass flute); Nick Rodwell, Anthony Pike (clarinet); Jamie Talbot (bass clarinet, tenor saxophone); David Theodore (oboe); Bob Sheppard (saxophone); Nigel Hitchcock (alto saxophone); John Barclay, Guy Barker, Derek Watkins (trumpet, flugelhorn); Mike Thompson , Richard Bissill, David Pyatt (French horn); Pete Beachill, Mark Nightingale, Richard Edwards (trombone, tenor trombone); Dave Stewart (bass trombone, euphonium); Billy Childs Trio (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Greg Phillinganes (piano, keyboards); Federico Gonzalez Peña, Billy Childs (piano); Brian Bromberg (bass instrument); Patrick Lannigan, Alec Dankworth, Chris Laurence, Mary Scully (double bass); Ralph Salmins (drums); Paula Cole, Sting (vocals); Dean Parks, Dominic Miller, Shane Fontayne (guitar); Gil Goldstein (accordion); Jeff Lorber (keyboards); Billy Kilson, Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Al Schmitt.
Recording information: Air Lyndhurst Hall, London, England; Avatar Studio, New York, NY; Capitol studios, Los Angeles, CA; JHL Sound, Los Angeles, CA.
Photographer: Fabrizio Ferri.
Arrangers: Bobby Colomby; Jeff Lorber; Brian Bromberg; Jeremy Lubbock; Mark Schulman.
Trumpeter Chris Botti drops the synthesizers and drum loops of his previous effort, Thousand Kisses Deep, for a more elegant and traditional sound on When I Fall in Love. While Thousand Kisses Deep maximized Botti's penchant for mixing perfect pop songs with his Miles Davis-influenced jazz style, it nonetheless featured many of the electronic and processed sounds predictable on modern smooth jazz releases. By eschewing such "go to" pop-jazz production techniques as drum machines and synthesized strings in favor of the real instruments here, Botti ironically sounds utterly groundbreaking on what is ultimately a straight-ahead orchestral jazz album. While nowhere near as improvisationally adventurous as its predecessors, When I Fall in Love is still a revelation in the tradition of Sketches of Spain, Clifford Brown With Strings, and Wynton Marsalis' Hot House Flowers. Mixing standards and contemporary pop tunes all in a straight-ahead style, Botti gives his minimalist Miles-ian horn sound a chance to breath and be enjoyed on its own. Boldly, Botti swings here with a big band on "Let's Fall in Love," and after years of guessing that he would sound great on a standard ballad, you get to enjoy the proof as he sighs and coos his way through "My Romance" with a plaintive tone perfectly counterbalanced by full string orchestra. But it's not just the standards that impress; he turns the Sade classic "No Ordinary Love" into a moody and atmospheric paean that wouldn't sound out of place on Kind of Blue. Similarly, Sting's "La Belle Dame Sans Regrets" -- featuring the ex-Police frontman -- brilliantly combines hardcore jazz improvisation on a radio-friendly modern Latin ballad. Botti should also be commended for choosing a stellar group of backing musicians including the underappreciated pianist Billy Childs, who adds his stylish touch on both acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes. While Botti has broken new ground in the smooth jazz genre in the past, his rediscovery of his jazz roots makes When I Fall in Love the album he has been threatening to make his whole career. ~ Matt Collar<