Chris Botti
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| Chris Botti | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | October 12, 1962 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Jazz Smooth Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Trumpeter Radio presenter |
| Instrument(s) | Trumpet |
| Website | chrisbotti.com |
Christopher Stephen Botti or Chris Botti [BOH-tee] (born October 12, 1962) is an American trumpeter and composer. Born in Portland, Oregon and raised in Corvallis, Oregon, he spent two years of his childhood growing up in Italy. His earliest musical influence was his mother, a classically trained pianist and part-time piano teacher.
He plays a Martin Committee Handcraft trumpet made in 1940, and uses a 3 silver plated mouthpiece from Bach made in 1926, having recently retired his 1920 3C Bach mouthpiece. He counts Miles Davis among his most significant influences.
Botti attended Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon where he studied under Larry McVey whose renowned jazz program had come to be a regular stop for Stan Kenton and Mel Tormé when they were looking for new players. It was here he played alongside his friend, trombonist and future Academy Award nominated filmmaker, Todd Field.
After leaving Mount Hood, Botti studied under David Baker and Bill Adam at Indiana University.
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[edit] Career
To date, Botti has released ten solo albums. His first few releases could safely be classified as smooth jazz, though critic Alex Henderson argues that Botti's music was a cut above much of the genre; reviewing his 1999 album, Slowing Down the World, Henderson writes "it would be a major mistake to lump it in with the outright elevator muzak that Kenny G, Dave Koz, Najee, and Richard Elliot were known for ... Botti is capable of a lot more."[1] Though still featuring heavy contributions from pop music singers, Botti's more recent albums have found him exploring more traditional jazz territory, with lush orchestral arrangements earning comparisons to Gil Evans.[2]
Botti has also performed or recorded with artists such as Sting, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Chaka Khan, Andrea Bocelli, Jill Scott, Steven Tyler, The Blue Nile, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Dave Koz, Jeff Lorber, David Torn, Roy Hargrove, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart, Clark Terry, Lee Ritenour, Renee Olstead, Burt Bacharach, Paula Cole and Brian Culbertson.
Botti was also a member of Bruford Levin Upper Extremities, a more experimental, jazz fusion-oriented group. He composed the score for the 1996 film Caught.
In 2005, Botti performed in the opening of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
In 2006, Billy Childs, Gil Goldstein & Heitor Pereira won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?" (Chris Botti & Sting) from Botti's album To Love Again - The Duets.
On September 25, 2007, Botti released his new album, Italia. The album places focus on Botti's Italian roots through such songs as "Ave Maria", "Venice", "Estatè", and the title track "Italia." In December 2007, it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album.
[edit] In media
Botti was the leader of the house band on the nationally syndicated daytime talk show The Caroline Rhea Show (a replacement for The Rosie O'Donnell Show) for its only season in 2002-2003.
He was named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People of 2004. Botti performed at the 2005 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, opening the show.
For several years, Botti also hosted a radio show called Chill with Chris Botti, that focused mainly on "chill" music, which is described as "smooth jazz with a touch of cool jazz." In 2007, saxophonist Mindi Abair took over the hosting duties, and the show, using the same format as before, is now called Chill with Mindi Abair.
With the success of To Love Again, Botti hosted a special concert at the Wilshire Theatre in Los Angeles in December 2005 with many of the guest artists from the CD. It was recorded for airing on PBS in Spring 2006 as Chris Botti: Live with Orchestra and Special Guests, which also was released as a DVD.
[edit] Discography
- First Wish (1995)
- Midnight Without You (1997)
- Slowing Down the World (1999)
- Night Sessions (2001)
- The Very Best of Chris Botti (2002)
- December (2002)
- A Thousand Kisses Deep (2003)
- When I Fall In Love (2004)
- To Love Again (2005)
- Italia (2007)
