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
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"
-
production techniques as drum machines and synthesized strings in favor of the real instruments here,
ironically sounds utterly groundbreaking on what is ultimately a straight-ahead
orchestral jazz
album. While nowhere near as improvisationally adventurous as its predecessors,
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
tunes all in a straight-ahead style,
gives his minimalist
Miles-ian
horn sound a chance to breath and be enjoyed on its own. Boldly,
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
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
improvisation
on a radio-friendly modern
Latin
.
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
has broken new ground in the
genre in the past, his rediscovery of his
roots makes
the album he has been threatening to make his whole career. ~ Matt Collar