Chris Botti

Smooth jazz and pop trumpeter Chris Botti was born in Portland, Oregon on October 12, 1962. At the age of 12, he heard Miles Davis give a rendition of “My Funny Valentine” and the die was cast; the young aspiring musician was determined to grow up to be jazz trumpeter. At that time, he had already been learning the trumpet from the age of nine, encouraged by his mother who was a classically trained pianist and piano teacher. Chris Botti's application to the instrument must have been thorough because by the time he was in his senior year at Indiana University School of Music he was taking time off to fulfil performing commitments with artists such as Buddy Rich and Frank Sinatra. His stature as a first-class trumpet player continued to grow and at the age of 28, he joined Paul Simon's band just in time to take part in the famous The Rhythm of the Saints tour, appearing with Simon at the legendary Central Park concert. Chris Botti served as a sideman in Simon's band for a further ten years until he left to take up touring and recording work with Sting, something he claims was a life changing experience. After solo albums for Verve and GRP – First Wish (1995), Midnight Without You (1997) and Slowing Down the World (1999) - he subsequently signed to Columbia Records and has enjoyed a successful career bridging the gap between pop and jazz and appealing to a wider audience. His first three albums for the label - Night Sessions (2001), December (2002), and A Thousand Kisses Deep (2003) – reached number 4 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart while his next four all hit the top spot: When I Fall in Love (2004), To Love Again: The Duets (2005), Italia (2007), and the Grammy Award-winning Impressions (2012). Chris Botti continued to perform and collaborate with many other artists including Barbra Streisand, Vince Gill, Rod Stewart, John Mayer, James Taylor, George Benson, Michael Bublé, and many others. After leaving Columbia, Chris Botti signed with Blue Note Records and released the album Vol. 1 in 2023, which was his first studio release in 11 years.

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