A hundred concerts in five months with stops in China, Russia and Poland. Thirty-four shows in New York City. An appearance on “Larry King Live.”
Springsteen? McCartney?
Try Chris Botti, the jazz trumpeter-turned-superstar, who sets up in Scullers for four nearly sold-out nights starting tomorrow. Among the material he’ll cover: songs from his new CD, “Italia,” which features Andrea Bocelli and Paula Cole.
“I have no residence, no storage locker,” Botti said from a tour stop in Palm Springs. “I don’t live anywhere. I just tour. I have one suitcase, one carry-on and my trumpet. Those are all my possessions. I don’t own anything else.”
What the 45-year-old bachelor - who was romantically connected to news anchor Katie Couric - does possess is a golden touch.
No instrumental artist with jazz roots, Wynton Marsalis included, is hotter than Botti. You don’t get major play on Bocelli’s upcoming PBS special or booked for two-and-a-half weeks at Manhattan’s Blue Note club unless you’re in demand.
Known mostly as a smooth jazz musician for years, the Oregon native signed on with Sting’s band in 1999. He was catapulted to the big time when he and his jazz band toured the world as Sting’s opening act four years ago. That led to an appearance on “Oprah,” offers to work with symphony orchestras and pop giants such as Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Josh Groban and Chaka Khan, and sexy gigs like the Victoria’s Secret fashion show.
Not bad for a guy raised in Corvallis and who grew up idolizing Miles Davis.
“Because my success happened so much later in my life, and because I’ve worked with so many different kinds of people, when the times are tough I keep reminding myself to look at what we have the opportunity to do,” said Botti. “The daily travel is brutal. (I’m) up most days at five in the morning to get to the airport. Then I pinch myself about what I’m doing. That makes it worth it.
“Even though I’ve been out there duking it out, trying to make it, the actual success took a long time. I like to say that behind every overnight success are 10 years of Red Roof Inns.”
Botti has had a number of No. 1 albums on the smooth jazz charts, yet in recent years his clean-lined playing has won him acclaim across genres. The band he brings to Scullers - Mark Whitfield, James Genus, Billy Kilson and Peter Martin - has heavy jazz credentials.
“Today, smooth jazz means adult,” Botti said.“The hard-core smooth jazz artists are Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Sting, myself. And then you have the instrumentalists: George Benson, Kenny G, whomever.
“The smooth jazz connection has been a bit of a hurdle, but the term doesn’t bother me anymore. Quite frankly, most people think that Sade and Norah Jones are jazz musicians. Jazz? Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter are jazz musicians. I think Norah Jones has more to do with country than jazz. Is she great? Abolutely. That’s what people need to focus on.”
So Botti continues to mix it up. Earlier this week, he played a show in Texas with his jazz group, then shared the same stage with opera star Renee Fleming and the Dallas Opera Orchestra.
“It’s one of the great things that has happened to me in the back half of my career,” he said. “I get to do this for a living, which is what I dreamed about when I was 9 years old.”
By Bob Young - bostonherald.com
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