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Chris Botti: Tooting his own horn

   When Oprah Winfrey mentions your name on her show, you know you’ve made it—or at the very least, are going to make it.
   Chris Botti, then an up-and-coming jazz trumpeter, found his way to The Oprah Winfrey Show in an unusual way. No agent could have pitched a better story. In 2004, during the planning of Winfrey’s fantasy wedding show, the bride requested the classic “When I fall in Love.” Of course, she wanted the version recorded by Botti from his album of the same name.
   It is no surprise then that Botti says his “real break came when, two hours before (he) was set to perform at the TV wedding, Oprah listened to (his) CD in her dressing room. She flipped for it, and then suddenly couldn’t say enough about me.”
   The trumpeter’s melodious music and commanding appearance led to another ‘gig’ at Winfrey’s Legends Ball. Botti plays a Martin Committee Handcraft trumpet made in 1940 with a three silver plated mouthpiece from Bach made in 1926. Along with his trumpet, Botti’s other assets include his striking figure in a classic suit, ashy-blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Botti gained further exposure when portions of the ball aired on Oprah and on a TV special for ABC. Since his appearances on Oprah, he has gone on to sell more than one million records.
   Botti is now a top name among jazz aficionados. The talented jazz star comes to the Virgin Islands on the heels of his December, 2007, sold-out, two-week stint at New York’s famed Blue Note jazz club. Joining Botti are drummer Billy Kilson, guitarist Mark Whitfield, pianist Peter Martin and vocalist Sy Smith, along with the Virgin Islands’ own Rueben Rogers on bass.
   A New York Times article about the Blue Note performance rightly hailed Botti as “Sting-endorsed and Oprah-approved.”
   Although Botti gained national attention with his appearance on Oprah, he won musical credibility through his affiliation with Sting. Since being a featured soloist on Sting’s Brand New Day Tour at the turn of the millennium, the two have collaborated on many of Botti’s projects, including the 2006 Grammy-Award winning “What Are Your Doing the Rest of Your Life?”
   This year, the contemporary jazz artist’s newest CD, “Italia,” is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. A native of Portland, Oregon, Botti says “Italia” reminds him of his childhood years in Italy. The charismatic instrumentalist joined forces on the title track of the same name with Italian opera great Andrea Bocelli. Other amazing selections include the relaxing sounds of “Venice” and the trumpeter’s rendition of “Ave Maria,” a set with which he often open his shows. The CD also features songs from the Great American Songbook, including “The Very Thought of You” and “The Way You Look Tonight.”
   Botti’s love for classic American songs is evident throughout many of his recordings. For his 2006 “Live with Orchestra and Special Guests,” Botti collaborated with Jill Scott on “Good Morning Heartache,” and Sting on “What are you Doing the Rest of Your Life?” Botti also gives a commanding rendition of “My Funny Valentine,” paying homage to the legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, whom Botti counts as someone who influenced him. The live recording aired on Public Broadcasting Stations nationwide in 2007, making it one the network’s most requested productions.
   Though stardom has come in recent years, the 45-year-old has been in the music industry for more than 20 years. He began his career right after graduating from Indiana University in the mid-1980’s. After a few years moving among jazz clubs in New York City, he joined singer-songwriter Paul Simon on his world tour from 1990 to 1995. 
   The same year Botti left Simon’s band, he began his solo career with the debut of “First Wish.”  Since then, he has also released: “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), and “To Love Again” (2005).
   Botti has opened for Michael Bublé, toured with Josh Grobin, and collaborated with the likes of Gladys Knight, Burt Bacharach, Paula Cole and Steven Tyler. In the vein of artists such as Natalie Cole and Lisa Presley, Botti recorded collaborations with deceased artists Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.  
   This year, Botti embarks on an across-the-world expedition to promote “Italia” and his other signature songs. He will be blowing his trumpet in Poland, Canada, United Kingdom, Taiwan, China, Singapore and Thailand; as well as across the United States. 

—Diane Francis