Chris Botti American jazz musician, trumpeter, composer Date of Birth: 12.10.1962 Country: USA

1. Early Life and Musical Influences
2. Education and Early Collaborations
3. Career Highlights
4. Awards and Accolades
5. Personal Life and Influences

Early Life and Musical Influences

Christopher Stephen Botti was born on October 12, 1962, in Portland, Oregon. Raised in Corvallis, Oregon, Botti spent two years of his childhood in Italy. His mother, a classical pianist and music teacher, introduced him to music at a young age.

Education and Early Collaborations

Botti attended Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon, where he studied under Larry McVey. It was there that he met trombonist Todd Field, who later became an Academy Award-nominated film director. After graduating from Mount Hood, Botti studied at Indiana University under David Baker and Bill Adam. He also received guidance from Fred Stutter, Claude Gordon, trumpeter Woody Shaw, and saxophonist George Coleman.

Career Highlights

Botti has released 12 solo albums as of June 2009. While his early works were categorized as smooth jazz, critics have noted his versatility beyond that genre. In his review of Botti's 1999 album "Slowing Down the World," Alex Henderson wrote that "it would be a big mistake to file this alongside the bland, innocuous music that has made a star out of Kenny G, Dave Koz, Najee, and Richard Elliot... Botti is capable of much more."

In recent years, Botti's albums have explored more traditional jazz forms with lush orchestral arrangements reminiscent of Gil Evans. He has performed or recorded with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Andrea Bocelli, Sting, Dean Martin, Yo-Yo Ma, Jill Scott, Steven Tyler, Paul Buchanan, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Jeff Lorber, David Thorne, Roy Hargrove, Paul Simon, Clark Terry, Lee Ritenour, Burt Bacharach, Paula Cole, John Mayer, and Jonatha Brooke. He is also a member of the experimental jazz-fusion collective Bruford Levin Upper Extremities.

Awards and Accolades

Botti was included in People magazine's list of the 50 Most Beautiful People in 2004. He composed the end-title music for the 1996 film "Caught."

Personal Life and Influences

Botti plays a handcrafted 1940 Martin Committee trumpet and uses three vintage 1926 Bach silver mouthpieces. He credits Miles Davis as his greatest musical influence.