Customer Reviews

Italia (CD/DVD digipak Fan Pack)

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm not much of a jazz fan, more classical, and I never listened to Chris Botti play before listening to Italia, but after listening to Italia, I am lost for words to describe how much I enjoyed his music. I do admit that Bocelli helped me decide to purchase the CD. I'm a Bocelli fan. I usually pass up the Jazz section in the store but I found Botti's CD in a Walmart store mixed in with the small classical CD section. I always believed that gifted performers, such as Bocelli, will choose to perform with other gifted performers and my theory was proven correct. Chris Botti is truly a gifted performer and am happy to add his music to my library.

I am a Botti fan from way back. And was critical of his last effort. But boy, is this one good. Not any jazz to my ear, but straght forward playing of beatiful melodies in the smooth Botti style. The theme is Italy, as you would deduce from the title and nicely carried through. Three tracks with vocals, one with Dean Martin in one of those post retirement duets that seem to be in vogue, but well done, none the less. That particular song is on a new Martin Album of duets. Good, no great, stuff here. Quite moving really.
Got to believe this will be the big romance album of the year. Another notch on Botti's horn for a job exceedingly well done.

"Chris Botti has the integrity of Miles Davis, the sexiness of Chet Baker and sells records like Kenny G. It's a triple combination." ~ David Foster ~

The whole-page ad from September 23rd issue of L.A. Times Arts & Music Section on this latest offering from my all-time favorite trumpeter-extraordinaire states that . . . "No one can resist the pleasures of Italy." It is especially true! And this irresistible CD/DVD Special Edition is the very essence of beauty and romance of Italy captured in a variety of songs and melodies recorded in Los Angeles, London and Italy in the most superb renditions, arrangements and orchestrations. This collection is an excellent combination of classical music, jazz standards and film scores. Featured guest artists who graced this wonderful recording are also my favorites, Andrea Bocelli, Paula Cole, and not to mention a special "magical collaboration" with the great Dean Martin.

It has a bonus DVD that shows the "Making of Italia," which features behind-the-scene footages, photo sessions and performances with the star-trumpeter, Andrea Bocelli, Paula Cole, interviews with Bobby Colomby (producer) and David Foster (pianist and composer of "Italia").

The CD dramatically spins off with a charming tune by film composer, Ennio Moriccone "Deborah's Theme" and followed by the title track "Italia," an original composition by Chris which he co-wrote with David Foster and lyrics by Lorenzo Cherubini. Andrea Bocelli's stirring vocal artistry is the perfect match for the dramatically beautiful trumpet of Grammy winner Chris Botti. He sings with a style so powerful and very romantic.

One of the loveliest tracks, and my absolute favorite is "The Very Thought of You" with Paula Cole's gorgeous and sensual vocal flair. Hers is the kind of voice that is so beautifully moving. She has been in Mr. Botti's recordings of "When I Fall In Love" and "To Love Again" and according to him, "she does everything in one take." Here, Chris Botti is again in full control of the resources of his trumpet, as he did in my all-time favorites "The Way You Look Tonight," "It Never Entered My Mind" and "Estaté."

Prepare to be hypnotized by his mesmeric take on a favorite classical piece of mine and a very memorable one since it was sung during my wedding ceremony, Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria." And likewise his delivery on Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" from the opera "Turandot" that has irresistible charm that makes you want to listen endlessly!

Dean Martin graced this recording with what I call a magical collaboration between two great artists where his great vocals harmonized with Chris Botti's smooth, silky, sophisticated and elegant trumpet ingenuity. According to Chris it was Capitol Records' idea to do this duet, "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" and it turned out to be a listening delight.

The bonus tracks of "Emmanuel," "Flamenco Sketches" and two of my all-time favorites, "If I Loved You" and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" are equally satisfying and pleasing to the ears. Paula Cole once again has proven her vocal prowess in "If I Loved You" by perfectly complimenting the trumpeter's silky and velvety tone. How I wish they would record a duet CD of standards. I would love to be in-charge with the song selection! In "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" Chris Botti flawlessly shows off his poetic musicality to the fullest. There's no denying that this is one of the very best instrumental versions of this classic gem from Jerome Kern.

One of my most cherished and memorable musical moments was the first time I watched Chris Botti perform live in concert at Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills a few years back and in my book, he is truly one of my top favorite musicians of all-time. He plays his favorite instrument like no other. He has an expressive range and depth of a truly remarkable trumpet player. Not only a gifted trumpeter but a composer as well, he communicates his passions thru his beautiful music, which is exceptionally heartwarming - the kind of music that stays with you forever.

With my heartfelt recommendation of a CD that deserves to be in your music library to be enjoyed now and forever. It's dramatically and irresistibly beautiful and romantic.

"Chris Botti has the integrity of Miles Davis, the sexiness of Chet Baker and sells records like Kenny G. It's a triple combination." ~ David Foster ~

The whole-page ad from last Sunday's L.A. Times Arts & Music Section on this latest offering from my all-time favorite trumpeter-extraordinaire states that . . . "No one can resist the pleasures of Italy." It is especially true! And this irresistible CD is the very essence of beauty and romance of Italy captured in a variety of songs and melodies recorded in Los Angeles, London and Italy in the most superb renditions, arrangements and orchestrations. This collection is an excellent combination of classical music, jazz standards and film scores. Featured guest artists who graced this wonderful recording are also my favorites, Andrea Bocelli, Paula Cole, and not to mention a special "magical collaboration" with the great Dean Martin.

The CD dramatically spins off with a charming tune by film composer, Ennio Moriccone "Deborah's Theme" and followed by the title track "Italia," an original composition by Chris which he co-wrote with David Foster and lyrics by Lorenzo Cherubini. Andrea Bocelli's stirring vocal artistry is the perfect match for the dramatically beautiful trumpet of Grammy winner Chris Botti. He sings with a style so powerful and very romantic.

One of the loveliest tracks, and my absolute favorite is "The Very Thought of You" with Paula Cole's gorgeous and sensual vocal flair. Hers is the kind of voice that is so beautifully moving. She has been in Mr. Botti's recordings of "When I Fall In Love" and "To Love Again" and according to him, "she does everything in one take." Here, Chris Botti is again in full control of the resources of his trumpet, as he did in my all-time favorites "The Way You Look Tonight," "It Never Entered My Mind" and "Estaté."

Prepare to be hypnotized by his mesmeric take on a favorite classical piece of mine and a very memorable one since it was sung during my wedding ceremony, Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria." And likewise his delivery on Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" from the opera "Turandot" that has irresistible charm that makes you want to listen endlessly!

Dean Martin graced this recording with what I call a magical collaboration between two great artists where his great vocals harmonized with Chris Botti's smooth, silky, sophisticated and elegant trumpet ingenuity. According to Chris it was Capitol Records' idea to do this duet, "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" and it turned out to be a listening delight.

One of my most cherished and memorable musical moments was the first time I watched Chris Botti perform live in concert at Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills a few years back and in my book, he is truly one of my top favorite musicians of all-time. He plays his favorite instrument like no other. He has an expressive range and depth of a truly remarkable trumpet player. Not only a gifted trumpeter but a composer as well, he communicates his passions thru his beautiful music, which is exceptionally heartwarming - the kind of music that stays with you forever.

With my heartfelt recommendation of a CD that deserves to be in your music library to be enjoyed now and forever. It's dramatically and irresistibly beautiful and romantic.

Have a lovely listening experience!

With Italia, Chris Botti has once again delivered a lushly orchestrated album of astonishing beauty, full of memorable, breath-taking performances. He not only proves there's wisdom in the old adage, if it ain't broke, don't fix it - but instead of resting simply on his laurels, with each successive album he's succeeded in making his "formula" of richly orchestrated, romantic standards better. Where To Love Again focused on duets, Italia focuses on Botti's trumpet playing with only a handful of vocal tracks (similar to his break-out album, When I Fall In Love). The inspiration of the album is, of course, the music of Italy, and in keeping with that theme Botti interprets two compositions by master film composer Ennio Morricone - the hauntingly beautiful "Deborah's Theme" from Once Upon a Time in America and "Gabriel's Oboe" from The Mission. The lushly orchestrated, David Foster-penned "Italia" pairs Botti with one of contemporary Italy's most famous voices, Andrea Bocelli. "Estaté" is Botti's gorgeous solo version of the track that he accompanied Bocelli on for the tenor's Andrea Bocelli: Under the Desert Sky [DVD Included] project. Three of the tracks on Italia mine the realm of classic popular song, evocative of Italy because of their close association with interpretations by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. "The Very Thought of You" is a sublime duet with Paula Cole - her voice, featured on When I Fall In Love and To Love Again, once again proves to be an ideal complement to Botti's trumpet. With her whisper-soft vocal and Botti's velvety-smooth trumpet playing, it's a seductively dreamy performance. "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" pairs Botti with Dean Martin (this track also appears on the Forever Cool duets album). The arrangement is swinging and playful, and Botti's trumpet effortlessly plays off of Martin's smooth vocals. As he proved with To Love Again, Botti is an expert at complementing a vocal, and the fact that the duet with Martin sounds so real, so convincing, is a testament to his skill as a performer. The trio of up tempo numbers is rounded out with "The Way You Look Tonight," the Fields-Kern classic featuring a sparkling arrangement that I can easily imagine Sinatra swinging to in his prime. The album ends with a stunner - Botti's jaw-droppingly gorgeous rendition of "Nessun Dorma," the highlight of the instrumental tracks. As some other reviews have noted, there's not much improvisation on this disc. However in my opinion the lack of improvisation highlights Botti's skill as a trumpeter -- there's no room for error in a song like "Nessun Dorma," and he delivers a spine-tingling, spot-on accurate performance. The control he exhibits on such tracks is quite frankly awe-inspiring.

The deluxe edition features a DVD with four bonus audio tracks. The short DVD (it's about twenty minutes) features some behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the album, the highlights being Bocelli in the studio with Botti recording "Italia" and Botti talking about his inspiration for making the album. What makes this edition really worthwhile, though, are the four bonus tracks - "Emmanuel," "Flamenco Sketches," "If I Loved You," and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." "If I Loved You" is another superb duet with Paula Cole, her vocal perfect for the song's romantic, wistful tone (incidentally in the DVD portion Botti states that Cole records all of her vocals for his projects in one take). "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is what I like to think of as a Casablanca song - the arrangement and delivery evoke all the romance of that film and others like it - it's classy and timeless. Italia is another wonderfully addictive offering from Chris Botti's seemingly endless reservoir of creativity and talent. I had the thrill of seeing him perform live earlier this year - if you ever get the chance, GO. When you see him perform live and cut loose with his band, and then contrast that with the beautifully orchestrated, soaring trumpet playing he exhibits on an album like Italia, one's respect for the scope of his talent increases tenfold.

As a trumpet player, i can appreciate the difficulty of what Chris Botti has put together on this album. This album, as did When I Fall in Love, shows his ability to play both sides of the horn (classical and jazz) extremely well. The music on this album is very relaxing and beautiful. Botti once again delivers a strong performance and as always exudes passion and love for the music he plays from his horn. I reccomend this to Botti fans, trumpet players, and anyone who wants to hear good music, whether it be classical or jazz.

Oddly enough - it's the instrumental tracks that shine most on this latest effort from Botti. The material choosen for this session is strong - but his chops are still kind of weak in places. Lack of vibrato - and his 'swinging' is sub par - but when Botti plays to his strengths - he shines thru those clouds like an operatic super star. Some of the songs are fantastic - some of his best ever, maybe (like the first and last tracks - and 'it never entered my mind'). Other tunes are embarassingly fluffy... Regardless - I still think it's money well spent.

Botti, play to your strengths - the R&B stuff - the orchestration on occasion - but leave the swinging stuff to Wynton...

Do not buy this. Buy When I Fall in Love instead. Chris sounds flat. It's hard to describe, but this CD really is not his best. I love to see Chris perform live and go to every concert of his when in town. This one really missed the mark of excellence for me. I look forward to his next CD.

A solid player with great chops, Chris is gifted with admirable self-discipline. Make no mistake: This guy practices a lot--he plays his *** off. However, this recording--aside from the wonderful tone he pulls from that trumpet--is (in my opinion) lackluster. He sounds unfocused, like he was ill, distracted, or half asleep during the sessions. (Of course, half asleep he'd be waaaaaaaaaay better than most.) It's not just the music, although it would've helped to have a few upbeat tunes. These are slow tunes nearly brought to a standstill. "It Never Entered My Mind" drags like a funeral dirge. I like "Estate" the best, I think. Second favorite would probably be the Dean Martin duet, which has some wonderful moments. Maybe the elusive bonus tracks are better (I didn't get them and haven't been able to track them down since it's now been at least two years since the album's release). In any event, compare Chris's playing on this album with the phrasing, support, and artistry he laid down on the currently latest release, Live in Boston. Now, he is absolutely mesmerizing on that CD and DVD. I want him to keep going in that direction. I want him to loosen up even more and do some straight-ahead jazz. He has the potential to be a Miles or Chet, possibly even without living the way they did (smack smack).

Heard this when my friend was playing this in her car. Came home and immediately ordered it and have loved listening to it over and over again. Then, I heard "When I Fall in Love" at another friend's house. Bought that too and have loved listening to that one! You won't be disappointed!