Anchorage Daily News

A capacity crowd filled Atwood Concert Hall on Saturday night to hear a fine concert that balanced music, showmanship and even a dose of education delivered as smoothly as the jazz that flowed from Chris Botti's trumpet.

The best-selling artist who paid his dues backing up Frank Sinatra and Sting opened with his version of Schubert's "Ave Maria," delivered ballad-style at first, then -- joined by his band -- boiled into a frenzy, backing into and out of the Nat King Cole classic "When I Fall in Love It Will be Forever."

Botti's horn crooned songfully on the romantic expositions, exhibited the sharp angularity of a coloratura soprano when excited and regularly closed with his signature high notes held so long that you began to think, "That's gotta be circular breathing" -- that is, blowing while inhaling.

The offerings included cuts from his latest album, "Italia," jazz monuments like Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and Miles Davis' "Flamenco Sketches," and themes from the screen like the Italian film "Cinema Paradiso" and the American soap opera, "The Young and the Restless," for which he was joined by pop violinist Lucia Micarelli.

Between songs Botti and guitarist Mark Whitfield exchanged quips, and even during the music Whitfield inserted a lively comic thread. All joking aside, he was the band member who came closest to stealing the show with his energy and masterful versatility. All the players were excellent, however, with powerhouse drummer Billy Kilman getting several crowd-pleasing moments in the spotlight.

Botti spoke more than we usually hear at a jazz program, but he was informative, humorous and even spontaneous. When some folks arrived late, he berated them. "What's your excuse? Traffic's not that bad in Anchorage. You missed 'Ave Maria.' Should we play it again for you?"

He tossed out the odd bit of personal information: "My mom went to college here in Anchorage." He gave a mini-history lesson on the importance of Miles Davis and the ground-breaking "Kind of Blue" album.

Elsewhere he preached to the choir, pointing out that learning a musical instrument is important for youngsters, even though it doesn't give the instant gratification of a video game. "The best way to get them interested in music is to take them to things they can't see on television: classical music, ballet, jazz."

He wound it all up, off mike, standing in the Atwood aisle, closing down the show with "One for My Baby and One More for the Road."

In some ways it was the best listening of the night; there had been problems with the amplified sound from the beginning, with the speakers hissing and feeding back loudly enough to present a big distraction in the quieter solos and duets.

Find Mike Dunham online at adn.com/contact/mdunham or call 257-4332.

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