For this first episode of Jazz Takes, GRAMMY-winning trumpeter and bandleader Chris Botti gives his off-the-cuff thoughts on a wide range of subjects, including his pre-show rituals, his favorite jazz ballads, the artistry of the late, great Roy Hargrove, and more.

Chris Botti and his band return for the SFJAZZ 2026-27 Season, performing January 7-12. Tickets and more information are available here:
https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/26-27/chris-botti/

With his finely etched features and piercing green eyes, trumpeter Chris Botti combines matinee idol looks with the simmering lyricism of an expert balladeer” (The Mercury News).
A trumpeter with a sumptuous, enveloping tone, fluent phrasing, and sense of space, Botti became a masterly musician equally at home in the realms of jazz and pop. He honed his craft performing and recording with stars like Frank Sinatra, Buddy Rich, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, and Sting, who featured him on his Brand New Day tour and who was one the stellar artists on Botti’s chart-topping 2009 album “Live in Boston.”

Botti’s 2012 CD Impressions won the GRAMMY for Best Pop Instrumental Album, and he made his Blue Note Records debut in 2023 with “Vol. 1,” his first new recording in over a decade.

Stepping back from the lush orchestral arrangements of his earlier work, Botti returned to an intimate, small group dynamic on the album, focusing on classic standards like “Old Folks,” “Blue in Green,” “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered,” and “Someday My Prince Will Come,” among others. Produced by 16-time GRAMMY-winner David Foster, “Vol. 1” features performances by violinist Joshua Bell, pianist Taylor Eigsti, guitarist Gilad Hekselman, and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta.