JAZZ Trumpeter enjoys a wider audience

Stars such as Sting and Gladys Knight lent their talent to Botti's new CD.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Trumpeter Chris Botti has discovered the secret to contemporary jazz success.
With inimitable brass chops that have lead to recording sessions and tours with the likes of Sting, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, this Oregon native maintains his jazz coolness with his own studio work while dabbling in the mainstream for added exposure.
"Historically, if you look back, whether you're Herbie Hancock trying to reach a larger audience or whomever, your goal is to try to sit in front of as many people as you can get," said Botti, calling from his Detroit hotel room. "Miles [Davis] used to play in front of a bunch of rock acts because he knew that he could do 200 nights at a 200-seat jazz club or he could go in front of one 15,000-seat arena and knock it all out and get his point across. I think ultimately in this day and age, that's what you're trying to do if you're lucky."
He added, "And we've been lucky lately."
Botti's luck began as a featured soloist with Sting on the ex-Police member's 2001 "Brand new Day" tour. That was followed by a 2004 performance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," and then a high-profile opening slot on Josh Groban's 2005 Midwest tour, which included a memorable Valentine's Day show at Gund Arena.
Help from his friends
The next big move for Botti is only weeks away with PBS airing a one-hour concert, culled from his upcoming "Botti Live" DVD/CD release due out in late March. The concert footage was recorded last year while Botti was touring in support of his latest effort, "To Love Again: The Duets."
Featuring plenty of stars (Sting, Jill Scott, Gladys Knight, Paula Cole and more), the romantic-based album is something Botti is extremely proud of despite the fact a duets record, he admits, is far from cutting edge.
"The thing I'm most proud of on this record is all of the singers are all my friends," Botti said. "I think that gives the record its kind of thread that goes through. All of these singers did it for the music and the friendship rather than some record company going, you need to do this to reach a larger audience with radio play."
Currently Botti is in the midst of a long touring schedule that brings him to Northeast Ohio for a special show. Having co-headlined with saxophonist David Sanborne for years, the two jazz leaders decided it would be fun to perform -- or jam -- together on stage. So a small tour was booked inside of Botti's lengthy jaunt, including a Feb. 22 show at the Playhouse Square's Palace Theatre.
"It's a crazy thing," Botti said. "We'll stretch it for over an hour and a half, and since it's way more experimental, we don't know what it's going to be. Because it's jazz, you want it to be nonscripted. That gives it its flavor. It's fun. And you want to feel like you're sort of jumping off a bridge, musically."
It sounds like fans should bring a parachute.