An Interview with Legendary Trumpet Player Chris Botti
Feb 28, 2025 08:00AM ● By Suzie Agrillo
Chris Botti
On Sunday, March 30, Grammy Award-winning trumpeter and composer Chris Botti will bring his signature brilliance to the stage at the Fox Tucson Theater. This is a rare opportunity to experience one of the world’s most celebrated musicians in an intimate, premier venue—an event not to be missed.
A Chris Botti concert is unlike any other. He’s the full package: a virtuoso trumpeter, a masterful bandleader, and a charismatic showman with an undeniable passion for the stage.
Botti’s career reads like a who’s who of musical legends. He has collaborated with icons such as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Yo-Yo Ma, Andrea Bocelli, Joni Mitchell and Sting. His latest album, Vol. 1, released on October 20, 2023, via Blue Note Records, showcases his love for acoustic jazz and timeless ballads, with stunning renditions of classics like “Danny Boy” and “My Funny Valentine.”
His musical journey began at age nine when he first picked up the trumpet after seeing Doc Severinsen on television. By twelve, he was fully committed, inspired by the sound of Miles Davis. In this candid interview, Botti reflects on his extraordinary career—where he’s been, where he is now, and what lies ahead.
Q and A with Master Trumpeter Chris Botti
How would you describe yourself?It’s difficult to encapsulate my career. There are so many layers, and so much time has passed. I’m incredibly aware of my good fortune and very grateful to be able to tour with my band and play in front of audiences around the world.
I turned on the television when I was a kid, and saw the charismatic Doc Severinsen, who was the band leader of “The Tonight Show,” walk out on stage and play the trumpet. That’s what initially sparked my interest in the third grade. Then, three years later I heard Miles Davis play on an album, and that’s what sparked my emotional drive, and made it a lifelong career dream.
If you’re a student of jazz, you all really like the same flavors of ice cream—Clifford Brown, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Dizzy Gillespie, Tom Harrell, and of course Miles Davis and Doc Severinsen. All the meat and potatoes of great champions in the jazz vocabulary.
For me, the song, the shape, and the melody have to sit in the appropriate part of where I play trumpet. Some melodies don’t play great on the trumpet because of their limited range. Bossa Nova is beautiful, wonderful, and I do enjoy playing it, but for me to show off my trumpet playing I need more range. That’s why I play a lot of American standards, where you get that lift in the trumpet sound.
I don’t ever listen to music casually. I’ve always been this way. I’ll listen to one record over and over again for six months. Right now, I’m listening to Clifford Brown, Live at the Beehive, which was recorded in Chicago, and Miles Davis, Live at Plugged Nickel, which is a four-disc set. I play these two records back and forth. I listen to analyze and absorb the content, not to be entertained. To grasp knowledge there has to be repetition.
This kind of fraudulent thinking is so common for those who have to perform on stage every night. The voice of self-doubt creeps in with thoughts like, "You don’t deserve this," and those wild horses of insecurity start galloping through your mind.
One thing that separates my show from other concerts is that I assemble an incredible band of incomparable musicians, so people see something they won’t see at a rock show. That has been the biggest winner for me. It’s an overwhelmingly different slice of music.
It’s very much a grassroots effort to perform in city after city to win over audiences. A rock star may become famous overnight at age 22. My music is more of a slow burn. It takes time to win over audiences and to have them keep coming back. Some people come to see me more than 20 times, and that’s a great feeling.
Turn my microphone on. You’d be surprised how many times people forget to do that. I know some performers meditate or they do a little prayer or a group chat. I tend to like it loose. I want the band to be able to do whatever they want to do. I try not to impose any of my own stuff on them. It’s pretty mellow. We hang out in my dressing room, then go onstage and have a fun time.
How many hours a day do you practice for maintenance?
I’ll probably practice an hour and a half before a show. If I’m at my place here on the West Coast, and not gigging, I’ll practice three to four hours a day. The trumpet is an unforgiving mistress.What are some of the highlights of the concert in Tucson?
We will have an exceptional group of musicians that I’m proud of. I will be performing with Lee Pearson on drums, Daniel Chmielinski on bass, Leonardo Amuedo on guitar, Julian Pollack on piano, Anastasiia Mazurok on violin, and two vocalists, Alicia Olatuja and Peter Cincotti.
If you’re a fan of any kind of music, it doesn’t have to be jazz, you’re going to see a world-class group of artists. That’s my calling card. For a myriad of reasons, this doesn’t happen at most concerts. Sometimes people come to the show not knowing what to expect, and they are blown away. It’s so gratifying when people say, “We’ll come back to your concerts, and we want to go on your cruise.”
We are indeed! The 2025 cruise sets sail in just a few days, heading to the Caribbean. The 2026 cruise will depart in September, aboard the Celebrity Summit, traveling along the West Coast from Los Angeles to Vancouver, BC. Along the way, there will be stops in San Francisco and Victoria, BC, with excursions to Sonoma and Napa Valley.
That’s a good one. I’m not a negative person. I look at it as more than half full.
I’m living it. To be able to have a professional entertainment career at 62 is a gift. I’m still very, very close to Sting. I spent yesterday with him, and we drove up the Pacific Coast Highway, through the devastation from the fire to his place in Malibu. It put into perspective how much misfortune there is in the world that people are dealing with. It made both Sting and I even more aware of how grateful we are to have our careers. To be able to get on a plane and perform for people onstage, that is my bucket list.
That’s a new thing. About two years ago, I got this bug, and I’ve gone in hook, line and sinker. It’s enveloped my psyche. It’s an insane passion to learn how to do this. There are similarities, oddly enough, between learning the trumpet and learning how to drive on the track.
How you have to remain calm, muscle memory, hand-eye coordination, and the revving of the engine is like the sound of the trumpet. If you’re taking a turn at an ungodly speed you must have your concentration on at all times, and also the adrenaline rush you get from going fast. I’ve really enjoyed this journey the last two years. I was tormented by chess before, but I had to quit that to go into car racing. I also go to the gym every day.
Well, I mean it would have to be my trumpet. After that, my cars. I have two Porsches, a Ferrari, and a McLaren. My favorite is the McLaren. It was custom made by the manufacturer, and they just delivered it six months ago. It’s the only one of its kind, with a special color, there’s a plaque on it, and it’s an amazing car—it looks beautiful, and it’s very fast.
The Inner Game of Tennis, by W. Timothy Gallwey. I read it in college, and it really helped my trumpet playing. It has great tips for athletes and performers about how to navigate your own brain, about the psychological way to attack problems.
Hopefully as an emotional performer. I bring my best to the stage every night.
I think Joni Mitchell said it best: “Talent is 98 percent drive.” She also wrote, “There’s comfort in melancholy.” That was in her lyrics. I was in her band, and we toured together. She’s an incredible woman and artist.
We’re excited to be there. We want people to take a shot at our concert. Go see something that’s different. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. I can say that with bravado, because that has always been the case.
Chris Botti will be performing at the Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress, on Sunday, March 30, at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $20 to $89.50.
The Fox Tucson Theatre - 17 W Congress, Tucson, AZ
Opening: The Fox Tucson Theatre opened on April 11, 1930, as a dual vaudeville/movie house. The Fox featured a stage, full fly-loft, and dressing rooms beneath the stage. The combined ef... Read More »
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