StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Three views of Chris Botti

This week, we've got three videos featuring trumpeter Chris Botti, who's returning to St. Louis to perform on Friday, September 18 at the Fox Theatre.

First up is an undated clip of "Streets Ahead," the sort of pop/funk tune that was a mainstay for Botti early in his career. More recently, the trumpeter has turned to jazz standards and the Great American Songbook, resulting in performances like the version of "Someone To Watch Over Me" found in the second embedded window, in which Botti shows off his pleasing tone and ability to interpret a melody.

As Botti has enjoyed more commercial success, he's become involved in bigger-budget projects like his recent PBS special "Chris Botti In Boston," which features a number of guest stars from pop and classical music and premiered in February of this year. The third clip is from that special, and shows Botti and violinist Lucia Micarelli performing a tune called "Emmanuel," which, though it may sound semi- classical, was written in 1970 by the French composer Michel Colombier for his symphonic rock/pop album Wings.