Let?s face it; Baltimore just can?t get enough of Chris Botti.
The much-acclaimed trumpeter, who has received accolades from everyone from Frank Sinatra to Sting, last played to packed houses in Baltimore just two months ago. Now he?s close to selling out four local shows again.
“It?s kind of never-ending touring,” said Botti. “We toured 11 months last year. I am almost always on a tour bus.”
And to hear Botti tell it, he couldn?t be happier with that schedule. Botti was born in Portland, Ore., where his mother, a classically trained pianist and part-time piano teacher, exposed him to music at an early age. At age 11, he decided to pursue a career that would involve creating music reminiscent of the acclaimed Miles Davis.
“The music that really inspired me … was more like Miles Davis playing ballads with the second quintet,” said Botti. “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.”
Fast-forward to today, when Botti is himself acclaimed as a leading jazz musician ? and more.
“The blonde, dapper Mr. Botti … belongs to a long line of trumpeters who are also popular entertainment,” The New York Times wrote. “His recent album “To Love Again” featured trumpet-and-voice collaborations with Sting … Jill Scott and … Steven Tyler.”
So just how does the Grammy Award?winning Botti compose such compelling music? It?s a combination of his early training and the Miles Davis sound to which he gravitated. Those things plus his unrelenting goal to be the best ? perhaps best evidenced by the journal he kept of his daily practice for almost three straight years (he fell short by a few days) ? has lead him to his critically and commercially successful sound.
“I?m lucky that my fans are so diverse,” said Botti. “[On a recent night] there was a couple celebrating their 61st birthday. There were also a ton of young musicians there. It is really cool to see that and see [trumpet music] accepted on such a big level.
IF YOU GO
Chris Botti
» Venue: Rams Head on Stage, 33 West St., Annapolis
» Time: 9:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday (6:30 p.m. shows were sold out at press time.)
» Tickets: $48.50
» More info: 410-268-4545, www.ramsheadonstage.com
