NEW YORK (Columbia Records/ www.columbiarecords.com/ www.chrisbotti.com) - With his new album, When I Fall In Love, sitting comfortably at No 1 on the Traditional Jazz album sales chart, virtuoso jazz trumpeter
Chris Botti has been invited to open for
Josh Groban on the bestselling pop vocalist's upcoming tour. The tour opens in Tampa on Tuesday, January 25 and winds up in Las
Vegas on Saturday, March 19 (see full itinerary following).
With When I Fall In Love, Botti has tapped into the record-buying public's desire for classic romantic jazz sounds. Released on September 28, 2004, When I Fall In Love has, according to SoundScan, occupied the No 1 slot on the Traditional Jazz Album sales chart seven weeks out of the past 10 and is currently in its fifth consecutive week at No 1.
Peaking at No 1 on the Top Jazz overall album sales chart, Botti's new album recently jumped an astounding 109 spots - from No 146 (week ending 11/14) to No 37 (week ending 11/21) on the Top 200 - on the strength of a pair of career-defining television performances on the "Today" show (Friday, November 12) and "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (Tuesday, November 16). With the soaring success of When I Fall In Love, Chris Botti experienced the biggest single week's sales leap of any traditional jazz album recorded by an instrumental artist to be released in the SoundScan era.
On his new album, Chris Botti, recently picked as one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," breathes new soul and magic into classic pop penned by Irving Berlin ("What'll I Do?"), Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart ("My Romance"), Ira and George Gershwin ("Someone To Watch Over Me"), Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer ("One For My Baby And One More For The Road") and others.
Featuring guest vocal performances from Paula Cole ("What'll I Do" & "How Love Should Be") and Sting ("La Belle Dame Sans Regrets"), When I Fall In Love includes Sade's more recently penned (but still classic) song, "No Ordinary Love," and the ever-haunting "Time to Say Goodbye (Con te Partiro)."
While providing fresh interpretations of some of the world's greatest love songs, Botti creates new pop standards of his own with songs like "La Belle Dame Sans Regrets," written by Dominic Miller and Sting (who sings on the track).
Botti, who opened a series of shows on the North American leg of Sting's "Sacred Love" tour in January-March, 2004, recently headlined his own stateside gigs in support of When I Fall In Love before once again opening for Sting on a European tour.
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-and-a-half years. Veteran of both the contemporary jazz world and mainstream pop studio scene, Botti has worked with Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant, and renowned film composer John Barry, among others. Film critic Rex Reed has called him "the sexiest trumpeter since Chet Baker."
Botti joined Paul Simon's band in 1990, where he remained for the next five years, and, in 1995, he recorded his solo debut, First Wish. After scoring the 1996 film "Caught," Botti returned in 1997 with his second LP, Midnight Without You, which was followed by Slowing Down the World two years later.
His 2002 watershed album, Night Sessions, peaked at No 2 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart while his seasonal collection, December, released the same year, hit No 7 on the same chart.
Released in September 2003, A Thousand Kisses Deep, Botti's last best-selling collection, entered at No 20 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and hit the No 3 position on the Top Contemporary Jazz chart.
Chris Botti/Josh Groban Tour Dates
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 Tampa FL St. Pete Times Forum
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 Estero FL Germain Arena
Saturday, January 29, 2005 Fort Lauderdale FL Office Depot Center
Monday, January 31, 2005 Orlando FL TD Waterhouse Centre
Tuesday, February 01, 2005 Atlanta GA Philips Arena
Friday, February 04, 2005 Raleigh NC RBC Center
Saturday, February 05, 2005 Norfolk VA Scope Arena
Monday, February 07, 2005 Wilkes Barre PA Wachovia Arena
Tuesday, February 08, 2005 Uncasville CT Mohegan Sun
Thursday, February 10, 2005 Manchester NH Verizon Wireless Arena
Friday, February 11, 2005 New York NY Madison Square Garden
Monday, February 14, 2005 Cleveland OH Gund Arena
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 Hershey PA Giant Center @ Hershey Park
Friday, February 18, 2005 Moline IL The Mark of the Quad Cities
Saturday, February 19, 2005 Milwaukee WI US Cellular Arena
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 Green Bay WI Resch Center
Wednesday, February 23, 2005 Minneapolis MN Target Center
Friday, February 25, 2005 Sioux City IA Tyson Event Center
Saturday, February 26, 2005 Rockford IL Rockford Metrocentre
Tuesday, March 01, 2005 Grand Rapids MI Van Andel Arena
Wednesday, March 02, 2005 Peoria IL Peoria Civic Center Arena
Friday, March 04, 2005 Oxford OH Millett Hall
Saturday, March 05, 2005 Louisville KY Freedom Hall
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 Ft. Wayne IN Allen County War Memorial
Wednesday, March 09, 2005 Evansville IN Roberts Stadium
Friday, March 11, 2005 New Orleans LA New Orleans Arena
Sunday, March 13, 2005 Oklahoma City OK Ford Center
Tuesday, March 15, 2005 San Antonio TX SBC Center
Thursday, March 17, 2005 Phoenix AZ America West Arena
Saturday, March 19, 2005 Las Vegas NV Mandalay Bay
For press materials online, please visit:
https://www.sonymusic/b2b
https://www.columbiarecords.com
www.chrisbotti.com
