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Pacific Symphony, led by Principal Pops Conductor Richard Kaufman, celebrates "Valentine's Day with Chris Botti," featuring the trumpet sensation on Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 11-13, at 8 p.m., in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Botti—a chart-topping instrumentalist, gifted composer and charismatic trumpeter—effortlessly crosses the boundaries between pop and classical, jazz and rock to reach his audience with his highly evocative trumpet playing. "It's the music that breaks your heart that stays with you forever," muses Botti. "It's one thing to be melancholy and one thing to be sophisticated, but when you get the two of them together in a way people can relate to…then I think you're on to something." The former trumpeter for Sting, Botti rose to new heights of popularity with his critically acclaimed CDs Live in Boston, December, and Italia—and is now considered among the top performers in his field.
Kicking off the evening are big-band favorites from across the generations: Glenn Miller's "In the Mood," and "Moonlight Serenade," Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing," a tribute to Johnny Mercer and much, much more. "I've had the great pleasure of conducting for Chris Botti on a number of occasions and it's always very special, both personally and professionally," says Maestro Kaufman. "Chris is a unique and amazing musician, as well as being a terrific person. He really appreciates having the opportunity to perform with a great symphony orchestra, and we definitely had a great time when he appeared on our Pops series several years ago.
"I've always been fascinated by jazz and the music from the big-band era," he continues, "which is why on the first half I programmed some of the most unforgettable music from bandleaders of this era who were instrumental in writing this music that is just as wonderful today as it was in the '40s. With this and Chris Botti, our audience is in for a very memorable evening."
Since the release of his first solo album in 1995, Botti has created a series of recordings which have made him a genre-of-one in the realm of contemporary jazz, while at the same time capturing the attention of the pop music world. Through his singular combination of sumptuous atmospheres and thoughtful improvisations, Botti has earned both critical acclaim and mainstream appreciation for a succession of best-selling albums including When I Fall In Love (2004), which rose to No. 1 as the "Top Jazz Album" and No. 37 on Billboard's Top 200; To Love Again: The Duets (2005) also came in No. 1 as the "Top Jazz Album," and came in 18th on Billboard's Top 200; and Chris Botti Live with Orchestra and Special Guests (2006) hit the number two position as the "Top Jazz Album.""I have a love of slow-moving orchestral pieces," says Botti—and it is this love of playing with orchestra that shapes many of his song choices and has allowed the trumpeter to successfully link the worlds of jazz and pop and classical music. "A lot of my songs have more classical elements than a jazz musician in a club. We try to make every song have a different feel to it, but overall I believe the challenge is to create something that's meaningful to the listener."
A native of Oregon, Botti was born in Portland and raised in Corvallis, spending two years of his childhood growing up in Italy. His earliest musical influence was his mother, a classically trained pianist and part-time piano teacher. He began playing trumpet at age 9 and, after hearing a recording of Miles Davis playing "My Funny Valentine," realized the instrument was his key to "doing something meaningful with my life." In the studio and on stage, Botti has since worked with such leading singer/songwriter/composers as Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Sting and renowned film composer John Barry, among others; as a sideman, he has appeared on dozens of albums, compilations and soundtracks. Botti's association with Sting dates back to 1999, when the trumpeter joined the pop legend's band as featured soloist on the "Brand New Day" tour, which lasted two years. Botti toured with Diana Krall in 2007 and was one of the featured guests on Andrea Bocelli's live PBS concert special in the late fall of 2007. And in late 2008, Botti invited an extraordinary variety of musical artists—including Sting, Josh Groban, Steven Tyler and Yo-Yo Ma—to join him on-stage with the Boston Pops Orchestra for a pair of once-in-a-lifetime concerts at Boston's historic Symphony Hall. People magazine named Botti one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2004, shortly after Oprah Winfrey "discovered" him, making him instantly a hot commodity.
Pacific Symphony's Pops series is made possible by the Symphony's official airline, American Airlines; official hotel, The Westin South Coast Plaza; Pops media sponsor the Los Angeles Times; official Pops radio station, K-Earth 101; and official television station, KOCE-TV.-----Tickets are $25-$150; for more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.pacificsymphony.org.
