(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- Coming to prominence with the 2001 recording of his Night Sessions CD, Trumpeter Chris Botti established a reputation as a versatile musician in both jazz and pop music for his ability to fuse both styles together. Botti will perform at Bergen Performing Arts Center as part of the Benzel-Busch Concert Series on Friday, August 7 at 8pm. Tickets range from $39-$99.
Botti seemed destined to become a musician -- and even to become the kind of musician he is today -- almost from the very beginning. Born in Portland, Oregon, he was encouraged to pursue music by his mother, a concert pianist. Botti was influenced at the age of twelve when he heard Miles Davis play “My Funny Valentine.” The impact it had not only persuaded him to make a life time commitment to the trumpet, it also launched the affection for melody, space and balance that have been intrinsic aspects of Botti’s musical vision.
In 2013, Botti won the Grammy Award in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category. He was also nominated in 2008 for his album Italia, and received three nominations in 2010 for the live album Chris Botti In Boston. Four of his albums have reached the No. 1 position on the Billboard jazz albums chart.
Impressions, Botti’s new Sony CD, is the latest in a stellar parade of albums -- including 2004’s When I Fall In Love, To Love Again, Italia and the CD/DVD Chris Botti In Boston -- that have firmly established him as the world’s largest selling jazz instrumentalist.
Performing worldwide, selling more than three million albums, he has found a form of creative expression that begins in jazz and expands beyond the limits of any single genre. With his album Impressions and the albums that preceded it, Chris Botti has thoroughly established himself as one of the important, innovative figures of the contemporary music world.
