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At the age of 12 Chris Botti heard Miles Davis give a rendition of 'My Funny Valentine' and the die was cast; the young aspiring musician was determined to grow up to be jazz trumpeter. At that time he had already been learning the trumpet from the age of nine, encouraged by his mother who was a classically trained pianist and piano teacher. Botti's application to the instrument must have been thorough because by the time he was in his senior year at Indiana University School of Music he was taking time off to fulfil performing commitments with artists such as Buddy Rich and Frank Sinatra.
Botti's stature as a first class trumpet player continued to grow and at the age of 28 he joined Paul Simon's band just in time to take part in the famous The Rhythm of the Saints tour, appearing with Simon at the legendary Central Park concert. Botti served as a sideman in Simon's band for a further ten years until he left to take up touring and recording work with Sting, something Botti claims was a life changing experience. He subsequently signed to Colombia as a solo performer and has enjoyed a successful career managing to bridge the gap between pop and jazz and appeal to a wide audience. With numerous Grammy nominations Botti is an established crossover artist with a string of best selling jazz albums to his credit.
Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
