Chris Botti When I Fall In Love CD

Although the most popular contemporary jazz tends to fall into the "lite" category, trumpeter Chris Botti avoids painting himself into this corner by sticking with an approach more reminiscent of Chet Baker. For his 2004 album, WHEN I FALL IN LOVE, Botti takes it a step further by employing the London Session Orchestra to provide him with lush accompaniment on a program predominantly made up of standards. The Oregon native adds further layers to the album's sound by calling on singer Paula Cole, whose burnished vocals provide a fine foil on a brush-stroked version of Irving Berlin's "What'll I Do?" and "How Love Should Be," with its subtle mix of piano and strings.

Along with exquisite takes on Rodgers & Hart ("My Romance") and the Gershwins ("Someone to Watch Over Me"), Botti also shows a knack for the cinematic nuance of Ennio Morricone ("Cinema Paradiso") and the pop-jazz of Sade ("No Ordinary Love"). The handsome horn player even ropes old employer Sting and bandmates Dominic Miller and Vinnie Colaiuta into lending their talents on the samba-flavored "La Belle Dame Sans Regrets" (composed by Sting and Miller). With its dusky mood, WHEN I FALL IN LOVE serves as the perfect soundtrack for a late-night cocktail party or a romantic evening by the fireplace.

Live Recording

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.

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.