Chris Botti

we almost stayed home. the roads in the outskirts of town still covered with ice after reacent snowfall.we heard the city streets were clearso we decided to drive.hell we,d have walked.arriveing with no probs yo find covered parking validated by Jazz Alley.well the predicted weather had been a concearn for many of Cris,s true fans,hardly anyone showed up. the MC said this evening may be one of cris,s most intimant preformances.we normally choose seatting in the front row center balcony.i know this show sold out,but so few people came that JazzAlley closed the whole 2nd floor and seat us about 12 feet from center stage,wow, we felt we had the band all to ourselves.one of my favorite things about Botti,s shows are his featured artists. supper singers and areally exciting sax player cris play along with complimenting hot riffs,simply thrilling.keyboards darren stevens lookalike must have born on a piano. violinest true perfection,note to self bring hanky. bassist play multipal stringed instruments equally well.the guitar play left us wanting more ,lots more. last and certainly not least,durms where does cris find these guys? the dummer beeing a show of his own,captivating.i,ll say it again a performance worth walking 20 miles in the snow for,so glad we went. but i,m kicking myself for not getting up to shake hands with my favorite.

A wonderful performance by Chris Botti in the Hong Kong Cultural Center on Feb 24th night! His charisma lies not only in his skill, but he is a true artist and would make people couldn't resist to love him.
As usual, his music infiltrated with different elements, pop; rocks; classical and Jazz standard, using his trumpet to play us the familiar tunes. You could find music from Puccini; Ennio Morricone; and even Led Zepplin in last night concert! Chris Botti is such a pleasant musician, he came down the stage to play music, to shake hand with audience and invite audience to play on stage! He even asked the cultural center to allow audience take photo and video of his concert. The HK cultural center is very strict, someone would come to you as soon as you raised your cell phone or camera! I knew this very well and I didn't bring my camera at all, BUMMER!

His concert always back up with brilliant musicians, Jazz singer Sy Smith and tenor Rafael Moras were accompanied by the powerful drummer Lee Pearson, and the violinist Sandy Cameron, who delivered a uniquely beautiful performance last night.

I would say he was not at his best in the performance compare to his concerts recorded on blu-ray, but watching his live in HK is definitely a thrilling and memorable experience.

As a trumpeter and composer, Botti is out of this world, and in concert everything is even more special and powerful. With a Grammy under his belt, you know you can’t go wrong with a Botti event, and I was absolutely blown away. His Italian background is evident in his classical influences blended with his own jazz style, and the melodies that he produces are original to the point of no return!
The sheer talent that emulates every performance I’ve ever seen it astounding. His band and backing musicians were of an extremely high calibre also, and their seamless blending of tracks was something to be admired. As well as the spot on playing and incredible performance value, Botti is a born entertainer. His charisma and humour engaged the audience from start to finish, and made the whole evening extremely relaxed. The breaking of the fourth wall, if you will, enabled the audience to relate to the musicians rather than feel distanced from them.
It was inspiring to hear directly from Botti about his journey and success, and hearing the well known melodies live performed with such conviction converted me into an even bigger fan!

Instrumental music is not something that has universal appeal to see in concert however if you are as well trained as Oregon born trumpet player Chris Botti, you have fans gathering simply to view the spectacle. Joined by a large array of classically trained musicians and vocalists, tonight is a lavish affair with Chris planted very much in the centre allowing a true demonstration of his other-worldly talents.

The Grammy award winner holds the attention of the room for an impressive twelve song set as he hand selects the best music from across his discography as well as redesigning covers by the likes of Michael Jackson and Leonard Cohen in a classic manner. The trumpet sounds rich and warm tonight, it seems to command the other brass instruments and bring everything together in perfect harmony. Chris is a likeable musician and when he says his thank yous you feel the true gratitude within his voice.

Saw Chris Botti again since his tour last year. The Melb Recital Centre truly served the artist with excellent acoustics and lighting. Jazz purists may not agree with Botti's choice of material but he has an encompasing view of the idiom and effortlessly melds classical and pop influences into his playing. Set was similar to last time but maybe more improvisation. His major influence, Miles Davis showed through but he has his own unique musical voice. His excels with lyrical material such as my funny valentine, allelujah and nessum dorma however he can rave it up equally with driving funk pieces too. The concert lasted for just on 2 hours with numerous permutations of the band including vocalist Lisa fischer and violinist Caroline Campbell. He said that he will return early next year in 2012. Check it out, he is a musical force to be reckoned with.

This SF Jazz Center Concert was a world-class music event with international virtuoso soloists. Musical styles ranged from pop, rock, jazz, r&b, fusion and even famous operatic songs. His band consisted of the typical rhythm section (pft. bass, drums) plus a synth. performer, a Brazilian guitarist, a solo violinist, 2 commercial singers and 1 opera singer plus Chris Botti. Everyone at some time had center stage as a soloist.

Chris Botti engages the audience while performing in
the aisles and includes audience participation on stage. Pics and videos were encouraged. Chris is a very personable, humorous and passionate professional. Chris Botti is a 1st rate entertainer and a consummate musician.

Concert was fabulous. It was my third time seeing Chris Botti and every one was money well spent. As usual he brought his long and talented list of guests with him.

As for the venue, that is another matter. Parking was and expected to be difficult. It does not have any AC, it was very sticky and we were packed in tight. The issue that really "pissed" me off was they charged $5 for a bottle of water. They should have handed it out considering. The lighting crew was asleep at the switch. Several times Mr Botti had to instruct them on their duties.
I can't imagine too many summer events taking place in this "hot box". Chris Botti and Guests saved the night.

The show was absolutely awesome! Chris played perfect sessions, the band was well balanced, the sound was excellent, kudos also to the tek guys at Blue Note.
It is so interesting when Chris introduces artists with him on the stage: he has no problems promoting interesting new talent, what a phenomenal guy. This all came through due what I think is the Best trombone jazzman in the Big Apple, Mike Davis from HipBone music. Check him out on Itunes. Thanks a million Mike for being there for us!
Thanks to the guys at Songkick and may the force of Jazz be with you !

Unbelievable concert mixing classical and jazz music. Joshua Bell was perfect, Chris's Botti was superb as usual, the drummer whose name was hard to hear as announced, was crazy good! The female singer stole the show, and again I couldn't make out her name when announced, was unbelievable, jazzy, smart, awesome voice- I loved her style, looks, sound and moves on stage. I have got to find out who she is and start following her and her music. The ASO was as usual, magnificent! What a great evening my wife and I had!

Chris Botti's concert are fabulous. He is a world-class trumpeter and his band and guests artists are all world-class. Saw him in NYC January 5, 2020 his music is super, magnificent artistry. Also saw him at Cape Cod in August 2019, and in West Palm Beach last winter.
Will see him in March 29 in Broward Center for the Performing Arts and in a few other concerts this year in Mass and NYC. All have his CDs and two DVDs. A musical journal, and an experience not to be missed.
Claire Deveney
Boynton Beach, FL