Chris Botti: Live (With Orchestra and Special Guests) [Blu-ray]

Chris Botti: Live (With Orchestra and Special Guests) [Blu-ray]
by Jim Gable

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Category: DVD
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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Chris Botti
Director: Jim Gable
Brand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Color, Enhanced, Live, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 108 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-05-29
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Sony BMG

Movie Reviews of Chris Botti: Live (With Orchestra and Special Guests) [Blu-ray]

Movie Review: Easy listening taken as Jazz
Summary: 2 Stars

I'm stepping on the Blu-Ray field for the first time by reviewing this `Chris Botti Live', a typical program for those who don't have anything better to be served with considering a new and astonishing technology that seems to have become popular in recent years.

It is quite similar to the DVD launching decades ago but with a big difference: old programs, mainly Jazz programs, were relatively fast and successfully remastered into DVD format so that we could take advantage of watching the Jazz greats in high quality sound and image standards. It's also important to notice that many of our Jazz greats were still well and alive there to offer new products, new shows at that time.

It seems that Blu-Ray is somewhat more complicated to have old material to be converted into.

There seems to be also a problem with the material: what industry currently calls `Jazz' is a surprise I take as not agreeable. Where are the real Jazz greats? Maybe their programs could not guarantee a fat return to the producers ...

In this scenario, I was presented to Chris Botti and Mr Botti is introduced by our Amazon Editor as a Jazz chart-topping trumpeter. It's hard to swallow comfortably.

The show final results are spectacular as far as we get drunk by the notoriously splendid image and sound quality gathered with the extraordinary American industry's expertise to put things together in this kind of production. Theater is extraordinarily beautiful.

The audience is clearly a plethora of invited people among friends and fans, so enthusiastic was their reaction even in tender situations. Passed to me the idea that the audience'a aplause was orchestrated at some 'presset' times.

The trouble with me refers to the material. Please no Jazz is offered even with the great Gil Goldstein before a great orchestra and a rhythm section trio leaded by the great Billy Childs and by guitarrist Mark Whitfield.

The program is a beautiful collection of standards, just a few 6 songs having Mr. Botti as a lead soloist. This makes us suppose a long list of invited artists, featuring Sting and Gladys Knight.

Ok to Sting and his extraordinarily cool approach to standards. How could a rock singer inject so creativeness in approaching Michel Legrand's `What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life'. Sorry that `My Funny Valentine' was reduced to a gag between Botti and Sting. Also sorry for the classical mistake in the lyrics, when Sting sings `don't change your for me' instead of the correct `don't change a hair for me'. It is too serious to play irresponsibly with `My Funny Valentine', a contextualized song from a Broadway with memorable lyrics by Lorenz Hart.

Jill Scott is a powered-voiced singer who is proper to cover some Aretha Franklin hits but not to sing Billie Holiday with that screaming voice. Beautiful woman, beautiful costumes, beautiful make-up, beautiful voice but no sense using her voice and no respect to the lyrics. You can't sing `Goodmorning Heartache' as you sing `Happy Birthday To You'.

Gladys Knight was discreet and brilliant and her final scat duet with the musicians was practically the only Jazz iceberg end in the show. Also brilliant is Ms. Renee Olstead in her near teenage and funny rendition of `Pennies from Heaven'.

Unfortunately, Mr. Botti is not a Jazz musician and no Jazz may be expected for beyond brilliant Billy Childs'solos here and there.

A long making-of extras in the program helps Blu-Ray fans and specially Botti's fans to hopefully say this is great!

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Summary of Chris Botti: Live (With Orchestra and Special Guests) [Blu-ray]

December 2005. Los Angeles, California. Trumpeter Chris Botti, on the heels of his break-through gold certified album "When I Fall In Love", and the record-breaking follow up "To Love Again", plays two triumphant shows at the Wilshire Theatre backed by a full orchestra and his virtuosic band. Playing repertoire mostly culled from these two hit albums, Chris is joined onstage by some of the world's most accomplished singers and musicians (in order of appearance) Sting, Jill Scott, Paula Cole, Burt Bacharach, Renee Olstead, Paul Buchanan and Gladys Knight. Filmed for the PBS Special "Chris Botti Live With Orchestra and Special Guests" and now available on Blu-ray Disc.

Blu-ray Disc Track Listing:
1. Someone To Watch Over Me
2. When I Fall In Love
3. A Thousand Kisses Deep
4. What Are You Doing For The Rest Of Your Life featuring Sting
5. Good Morning Heartache featuring Jill Scott
6. My One and Only Love featuring Paula Cole & Burt Bacharach
7. The Look Of Love featuring Paula Cole & Burt Bacharach
8. Cinema Paradiso
9. Pennies From Heaven featuring Renee Olstead
10. Are You Lonesome Tonight? Featuring Paul Buchanan
11. Lover Man featuring Gladys Knight
12. My Funny Valentine featuring Sting
13. Why Not
14. One For My Baby
15. Bows (Credits)

Special Features:
"Behind the Scenes: Chris Botti Live"- Never Before Seen Exclusive Footage of the concert event takes the viewer behind the scenes
"The Musicians"- A profile of Chris Botti's extra ordinary band: Bill Childs (Piano), Billy Kilson (Drums), James Genus (Bass) and Mark Whitfield (Guitar)
"One For My Baby"- This song was not part of the original PBS Broadcast
"Interview With Chris"- An extensive interview with Chris, giving his personal account of the events that led up to these fantastic concerts.
"Message in a Bottle" - Sting fronts Chris band for a stunning version of the Police Classic not on the PBS Broadcast

Video/Audio:
Mastered in High Definition
PCM 5.1 Surround Sound (96 khz/24 bit)
Dolby Digital Stereo (640kbps)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (640kbps)

Jazz trumpeter Chris Botti is mostly exquisite on this concert DVD, which gives old fans and new arrivals a chance to hear him apply his rich, expressive playing to a number of old standards, as well as one or two of his own compositions. Botti, along with a remarkable band including Billy Childs on piano and Billy Kilson on drums, plays six numbers as instrumentals but is joined on eight other performances by a few guests. Sans vocals, Botti warms up a delighted audience with a nice, if slightly exercised, take on "Someone to Watch Over Me," but proves magnificent on "When I Fall In Love" and especially Leonard Cohen's "A Thousand Kisses Deep." Then out glides old pal Sting (who invited Botti to join his own touring band some years ago), who has a nice go at "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?", followed by jazz-blues belter Jill Scott's terrific "Good Morning Heartache." Less effective are two appearances by Paula Cole, of which the second, "The Look of Love," doesn't work particularly well for anyone, including Botti and composer-pianist Burt Bacharach (also onstage). Renee Olstead sizzles up the joint with her kittenish "Pennies from Heaven," and Sting returns for a comic if touching "My Funny Valentine." --Tom Keogh

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