Song:Cinema Paradiso
Album:In Boston
Trumpeter Chris Botti made his name as a sideman first with Paul Simon and then with Sting. He has recorded as a leader since 1995 but his time with Sting raised his profile and he is one of today's best selling smooth jazz artists. He was born Oct. 12, 1962 in Portland, OR. His mother was a piano teacher. Botti started playing trumpet after hearing Miles Davis' My Funny Valentine. In 1981, he played Carnegie Hall in New York after being named to Mcdonalds All American High School Jazz Band. He also started playing local Portland clubs. He attended the Indiana University School of Music and trained with Woody Shaw and George Coleman. He left school and moved to New York. After brief stints with Frank Sinatra and Buddy Rich in 1985, he settled into session work and that's where he met Paul Simon. That got Botti into touring with Simon and others. That's where he met Michael Brecker and Botti worked on the 1993 Brecker Brothers album Out Of The Loop. This led to a contract with Verve and Botti's solo debut CD First Wish was released in 1995. Botti recorded three albums for Verve. In 1999, he went on tour with Sting as a featured soloist and this led to a new record deal with Columbia Records and veteran producer and Blood, Sweat & Tears founding member Bobby Colomby. Botti's cover of Ennio Morricone's theme from the film Cinema Paradiso was on the 2004 CD When I Fall In Love featuring Billy Childs on piano. This was his first number one jazz album and all his albums have sold well since then. In Boston is a 2009 CD/DVD package first broadcast on PBS. Botti records with the Boston Pops Orchestra and with several guests including classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma on Cinema Paradiso. Pianist Billy Childs is also featured and other musicians are Mark Whitfield on guitar, Robert Hurst on bass and Billy Kilson on drums. Other guest appearances include Sting, Katharine McPhee, Josh Groban, John Mayer and Steven Tyler. Botti's latest CD Impressions was released in 2012. He's probably due for a new CD soon. He is touring this summer. I think that Chris Botti's style of jazz is for those who don't listen to jazz and don't really know what jazz is. He's too easy listening for me. Here's Chris Botti with the Boston Pops Orchestra featuring Yo-Yo Ma and Billy Childs performing Cinema Paradiso on the DVD In Boston.
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