Our Alone Together series is a celebration of spontaneous creation, presenting exclusive and unrehearsed duo performances captured live in the intimacy of the SFJAZZ Center. Whether they’re longtime collaborators or meeting on stage for the first time, these world class artists are improvisors of the highest level, creating powerful musical dialogues in the moment.

In this episode, trumpet superstar Chris Botti and Berkeley-born keyboardist Julian Pollack bring a fresh perspective to the timeless Frank Churchill standard “Someday My Prince Will Come.”

Originally composed for the 1937 Disney animated classic Snow White with lyrics by Larry Morey, “Someday My Prince Will Come” was written using an atypical chord progression for the time, leading to its embrace by jazz musicians as a vehicle for improvisation. The most famous jazz version was recorded by Miles Davis for his 1961 Columbia album of the same name, and it appears on releases by Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and Wynton Kelly, among others.

Chris Botti, the world’s biggest-selling jazz instrumentalist, was never the same after hearing Miles Davis's version of “My Funny Valentine” when he was 12. A subtle trumpeter with a uniquely expressive sound, fluent phrasing, and sense of space, Botti became a masterly musician equally at home in the realms of jazz and pop. He honed his craft performing and recording with stars like Sting, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, and Frank Sinatra.

Based in Los Angeles, Julian “J3PO” Pollack is a versatile keyboardist and producer who is active as a solo artist and bandleader as well as an in-demand performer with SFJAZZ Executive Artistic Director Terence Blanchard, Chris Botti, Marcus Miller, and many others. An artist known for his use of synthesizers in jazz and fusion, he’s released a procession of albums including his latest Ropeadope recording, 2025’s Soul & Circuitry.