6/13/2022
Performances and Artists
When master trumpeter Chris Botti looks back on becoming America’s top-selling instrumentalist and a multi-Grammy winner, he largely attributes his success to one man: Sting.
"People always ask me at the airport or during interviews, how my success happened," Botti says. "And I always tell them there are only four ingredients: Practice, practice, practice, and be friends with Sting."
Playing worldwide as part of Sting’s band in the 1990s gave Botti a rare education in succeeding as a global entertainer.
“Sting said, “Chris, if you join my group and run your musical commentary through my music, I will bring the sound of your music to the world. A lot of those people won’t be jazz fans, but they’ll become your fans,’” Botti remembers. “And that’s what happened.”
Shaping His Music with Legends
But Sting — who refers to Botti as his “little brother” — is far from the only musical giant to advance the trumpeter’s career.
Botti performed his first professional gig upon being hand-picked as a college student to perform with Frank Sinatra during a two-week residency in Los Angeles.
“It was playing with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, with the whole glamor of it,” he recalls. “It was great.”
He soon after learned about life on the road by performing on a two-year world tour with Paul Simon.
“That was my first real entry into touring,” Botti says. “You can be a great musician, you can love music, but you’ve got to love touring.”
He also played with Joni Mitchell’s band, and has gone on to collaborate with greats such as Barbra Streisand, Yo-Yo Ma and Andrea Bocelli.
All of these artists have shaped Botti in turn, fashioning his eclectic stylings spanning pop, jazz and beyond – which Botti will showcase at his upcoming show.
"What we do live is completely different than my records," he says, adding that he strives to play a wide variety of musical styles in his performances. " I think that that's become more of my calling card than anything else.”
The Sacrifices of a Virtuoso
Botti didn’t become a trumpet virtuoso by accident.
Even now, after decades of recording and touring, he still practices five to seven hours a day – and always on his one-and-only trumpet, a 1939 Martin.
“I view the trumpet as the ultimate ex-wife,” he says. “It needs a lot of attention, and needs it every single day and it doesn’t care what else you’ve done.”
This mirrors his dedication to touring. For 12 consecutive years, Botti lived as an officially homeless artist, touring 365 days a year, with no possessions outside of a single suitcase.
Every artist faces the decision of whether they can endure the rigors of touring, he adds, and for him, “the answer was absolutely.”
SEE THE SHOW
Chris Botti performs on July 13 at The Smith Center – CLICK HERE for tickets.