Photo Coverage: In Rehearsal with Chris Botti and the New York Pops

Additional New York Pops performances this season include Sing Sing Swing-an all-swing program on November 1 featuring Montego Glover, inspired by the days when big bands ruled the dance floors-including a tribute to the 75th anniversary of Benny Goodman's historic Carnegie Hall concert and recording; three holiday performances, including two with Ashley Brown on December 19 and 20 and a Carnegie Hall Family Concert performance of A Charlie Brown Christmas on December 21; A Broadway Love Story-withMarin Mazzie and Jason Danieley on March 21; and an evening of music from some of Hollywood's most famous film scores on April 4.

Since the release of his 2004 critically acclaimed CD When I Fall In Love, Chris Botti has become the largest-selling American instrumental artist. His success has crossed over to audiences usually reserved for pop music and his ongoing association with PBS has led to four number one jazz albums, as well as multiple Gold and Platinum recordings and Grammy Awards. Most recently, his album Impressions won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Performing worldwide and selling more than three million albums, Botti has found a form of creative expression that begins in jazz and expands beyond the limits of any single genre. Over the past three decades, he has recorded and performed with such artists as Sting, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Bublé, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Joshua Bell, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, and even Frank Sinatra. Hitting the road for as many as 300 days per year, the trumpeter has also performed with many of the finest symphonies and at some of the world's most prestigious venues, from Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl to the Sydney Opera House and the Real Teatro di San Carlo in Italy. Impressions is the latest in a stellar parade of albums-includingWhen I Fall In Love (2004), To Love Again: The Duets (2005), Italia (2007), and the CD/DVD Chris Botti in Boston (2009)-that has firmly established him as a clarion voice in the American contemporary music scene. Playing with his uniquely expressive sound and soaring musical imagination, Botti is joined on the disc by featured artists Andrea Bocelli, Vince Gill, Herbie Hancock, Mark Knopfler, and David Foster, in a warm, intimate celebration of melodic balladry.

Article & Photos by: Stephen Sorokoff