Chris Botti is a native of Oregon who was born in Portland and grew up in Corvallis. His earliest musical influence was his mother, a classically trained pianist and part-time piano teacher. "I can't really sit down and play a song on the piano," Chris admits. "But I know harmony, and generally I compose on the piano rather than on the trumpet." He pursued his music studies with a succession of outstanding teachers: David Friesen in the Northwest, Dave Baker in Indiana, and--following Botti's move to New York City in 1986--the late trumpet master Woody Shaw.
"After I came to New York," Chris recalls, "I realized I didn't want to be a jazz musician. I love improvising, but you really need to live the bebop tradition in order to play it. That kind of music--the kind that Woody Shaw, for example, played so brilliantly--just moves a little too quickly for me.
"The music that really inspired me as a teenager was more like Miles Davis playing ballads with the second Quintet. You know that spacey thing, when they broke down all the chords in the song? That band playing 'Stella By Starlight' is something very different from, say, Bud Powell playing the same tune.
"My music is more reined-in, because it's in a pop format. But this atmospheric quality is what I really loved about jazz, and I've tried to marry that feel to the textures and melodies you might hear on a record by Peter Gabriel or Bryan Ferry."
When Paul Simon set out on a 15-month world tour in 1990, Chris became a key sideman in a backing group that combined Brazilian and African players with New York session veterans like Randy Brecker, Richard Tee, and Steve Gadd. Botti's solo debut, First Wish, was released in 1995; his second effort, Midnight Without You (a collaboration with English ambient pop group the Blue Nile) appeared in 1997 and was followed by Slowing Down The World in 1999. The Academy Award-winning film composer John Barry cast Chris as the featured soloist in his orchestral score Playing By Heart; Chris himself composed and performed the score for the Robert M. Young film "Caught."
In the studio and on stage, Chris Botti worked with such leading singer-songwriters as Marc Cohn, Joni Mitchell and Natalie Merchant; as a sideman, he has appeared on dozens of albums, compilations and soundtracks. In 2000, Chris joined Sting for two years of roadwork, as the featured soloist with the latter's "Brand New Day" band. That tour culminated in Tuscany, where the concert was taped, later to become Sting's first live CD in 15 years. "Sting in Tuscany: All This Time" aired as a part of the A&E In Concert series, garnering six Emmy nominations in the process. The documentary was later released on DVD. Chris became a part of a dramatic and memorable performance on that fateful day in the fall, September 11, 2001.
Working with band mate and multi-instrumentalist Kipper, Chris's Columbia label debut Night Sessions--inspired by the sounds of the late-night European club scene--was written and recorded during a two and a half-month hiatus between Sting tours. The album became a breakthrough contemporary jazz hit upon its release in October 2001. A Columbia DVD, Night Sessions – Live In Concert, was issued in August 2002. Taped live at the historic El Rey Theater in Los Angeles, "Chris Botti and Friends" featured the trumpeter with his own expert road band plus guest appearances by Sting and Shawn Colvin.
In October 2002, Chris released the holiday theme album December. This 13-track collection combined joyful interpretations of seasonal standards ("Little Drummer Boy," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing") with contemporary songs in the Christmas spirit, including Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and "Perfect Day" by Richard Marx. On the promotional trail in support of December, Botti appeared on "The Caroline Rhea Show" (WB network). He was invited to return the next day…then promptly hired as Rhea's on-air partner, chatting with the host at the start of every show and frequently sitting in with a house band led by bassist Tim LeFebvre. Before he knew it, it was May 2003 and Chris had been part of "The Caroline Rhea Show" for five months.
The end came not a moment too soon as Chris headed into the recording studio to record his next Columbia release
A Thousand Kisses Deep. On this CD, Chris started to show his affinity to the “classics”, recording a now renowned arrangement of the Miles Davis classic My Funny Valentine. The reaction to this performance – both on disc and live – made Chris realize his next album would do well to focus on the repertoire of the great American songbook.
When I Fall in Love was recorded in Los Angeles and London in 2004 and produced by veteran Bobby Colomby. Working with some of the most accomplished arrangers and orchestrators around it has been hailed as “an instant classic” by many and continues to sell well nearly a year after it’s release. Botti’s big break came when he was “discovered” by Oprah Winfrey, who quickly championed his artistry to her audience, presenting him on her show in November of 2004. Within a week of his performance he had sold more than 50,000 CD’s and has not stopped since - maintaining it’s top five presence on the charts all the while.
Botti has outdone himself with the release of his latest album: To Love Again. Employing nine of this era’s finest vocalists, relying on sublime orchestral arrangements, and once again under the direction of producer Bobby Colomby, this album has fulfilled the highest expectations.
