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| SANBORN, BOTTI PRODUCED PERFECT BLAST, Kyle Munson |
Alto saxophonist David Sanborn and trumpeter Chris Botti were the names on the marquee for Wednesday night's concert at the Civic Center of
Greater Des Moines. But pianist Billy Childs deserved equal billing. (No doubt you missed the news while watching "American Idol," but Childs
took home a pair of Grammys last week in the composing/arranging category.)
"This is our first time playing together on stage, and we couldn't even get the entrance right," Botti cracked to the 1,570 fans before even one note had been played. Bassist James Genus had neglected to introduce his bandleaders before they strolled on stage.
So the Sanborn-Botti ensemble debuted in Des Moines with some of its finest solos from Childs and percolating rhythms by Genus and especially
powerhouse drummer Billy "Killer" Kilson . (Kilson was such a powerhouse, in fact, that on at least three occasions Sanborn motioned to the drummer to ease up and not stomp all over his sax solo. And Kilson broke both his drumsticks during his own thunderous display just before the encore.)
Wednesday showcased a welcome, nimble quintet in contrast to the sound of, say, Botti's newest album, "To Love Again," a duets project overburdened with famous guest vocalists (Sting, Michael Buble and even Steven Tyler) and schmaltzy strings.
It was a fun setup for a jazz gig: A pair of veteran horn players fresh to each other's onstage idiosyncracies, which guaranteed both crisp chops and a looser flair. Instead of the old opening act-headliner divide, Sanborn and Botti began together and traded off taking breaks throughout the nearly two-hour show to grant the other guy the solo spotlight.
It took too long to arrange this sax-trumpet pairing.
Sanborn, 60, grew up in St. Louis and studied at the University of Iowa. He won fame first in the rock world with the likes of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band (performing at Woodstock), Stevie Wonder and David Bowie (that classic "Young Americans" solo).
Botti, 43, hails from the Great Northwest (Corvallis, Ore.) and made it to New York City via Indiana University. The last time Botti set foot on the Civic Center stage was as the opening act for Sting. Oprah's a fan, too.
The night began with "When I Fall in Love," the title track to Botti's 2004 CD, a tune that quickly evolved from a romantic slow burn into a furious initial round of hot solos.
Perhaps Childs was the night's MVP, but the horn players obviously pushed each other to perform. Sanborn out-finessed Botti during one of the
trumpeter's favorites, Leonard Cohen's "A Thousand Kisses Deep." Then Botti outblasted his elder in the next tune, Horace Silver's "Senor Blues."
Both Sanborn and Botti have slipped in and out of the "smooth jazz" genre, but the sax man Wednesday spent more time backed by Childs on
electric keyboard and Genus on electric bass. Botti acted the heartthrob by straying into the audience to channel Miles Davis and play "My Funny
Valentine" to a female fan, as is his wont; but he also stripped away his accompaniment to just Childs.
There was more Miles in the form of "Flamenco Sketches." Botti chose Ennio Morricone's theme from his favorite movie, "Cinema Paradiso." And
the concert ended with a beloved standard as the sole encore tune, "I'll Be Seeing You."
Wednesday night didn't achieve live jazz magic in terms of an ensemble that seems to work as a single organism and choose all the right tunes.
But as first dates go, it was a great belated Valentine.
Just be sure to give Childs his due. |
| Des Moines Register Review |
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