Chris Botti, Turning 47 Today, Shows No Sign Of Slowing Down
Today, October 12, trumpeter Chris Botti is celebrating his 47th birthday and recently announced a number of new shows to his long itinerary, which currently stretches into mid-May. Botti, who has been on the road regularly since last fall – and basically for the past several years – continues his North American tour with an October 16 show in Clearwater, FL.
Born in Portland, Ore., Botti took his first trumpet lesson at the age of 9. By the time he was 12, he set his sights on becoming a professional musician. Early in his career, Botti became a first-call session player, lending his trumpet work to the music of Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon and Sting, among others.
Botti has now released 10 solo albums including his latest, Live In Boston.
Botti recalls his favorite all-time birthday gift: “Certainly for me my gift that I got when I was a kid that I remember so much was a trumpet. I’d been playing a cornet for a long time. And I kind of learned on the cornet and I really, really begged my parents because I wanted a trumpet. And to unwrap this case and open it up and see this silver trumpet when you’re a kid was big deal. It was such a thrill for me.”