The hero of this special concert belongs to the group of artists who need no introduction. However, it's worth doing so because Chris Botti's work is awe-inspiring. In the symphonic hall, one of the world's most famous trumpeters will appear, a Grammy award winner with many gold and platinum records to his name. Above all, Botti is one of those artists who found the relationship between jazz and popular music wooden but left it solid.
Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga, and Sting are just a few superstars collaborating with the May concert guest. But this is not all, as the sounds of his trumpet have graced the recordings of many truly legendary names, often representing quite distant musical conventions. Among Botti's collaborators, you will find the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and the rap icon of the 90s, Mary J. Blige.
Botti began his music career in 1985 as a session musician. However, we had to wait until 1995 for his official solo debut album, "First Wish." A significant moment in the trumpeter's life was in 1990 when Botti embarked on a decade-long collaboration with the legendary American singer and guitarist Paul Simon. Each subsequent album by the musician was better received, and the artist developed his unique trumpet playing style, winning the hearts of fans worldwide and not limiting himself while exploring musical genres. It's worth mentioning that Botti's work features both jazz – a lot of jazz – in the style of early Miles Davis, film music, and interpretations of classical music standards, including Franz Schubert and Giacomo Puccini.
When writing this text (October 2023), we eagerly await the next album from the artist, which Blue Note Records will release. By the way, it's hard not to see this as a supplement to the global history of jazz – one of the world's most famous trumpeters in the catalogue of one of the most essential jazz labels. It seems that these two brands fit together perfectly!
