Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti recently released his first Blue Note, Vol. With Botti’s release of classics such as “My Funny Valentine,” “Bewitched,” “Someday My Prince Will Come” and “Danny Boy,” as well as “Coldplay. “Fix You”, the collection produced by David Foster is Botti at its finest.
This beautiful and sublime album features Botti and his perfect band, taking listeners on a magnificent musical journey. As Botti told Sage Bava and me when we spoke with him over Zoom, he learned how to lead this musical stay with some of the greats who play with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, Lady Gaga, Sting, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell and more.
We chatted with Botti about how he chose the songs for the new album, touring, the artists he learned from to the fullest, his love of racing, and much more.
Steve Baltin: You say that in February you became addicted to motorsport, let me note the adrenaline rush and how it inspires your music. I love that this is your debut with Blue Note. Now you’re getting into motorsport. I like the concept of constantly reinventing yourself as a person.
Chris Botti: They have something in California called The Porsche Experience, where you can stop by, they have a coach, and you rent a Porsche for a while. And I have done it several times. I made this in January and thought, “Wow, this is really cool. ” Then we went on an excursion in February, we went on an excursion to Tokyo and there was a Porsche Experience there. And then I did the same. The Porsche experience is great. And then as I leave the track, a German says, “Chris, Porsche just brought out this new car called the GT4 RS. ” If you stick with Porsche, it’s a mid-engined car, but they put the GT3 Cup car’s engine right in your ear. Anyway, he said, “Do you need to go for a walk?” And I said, “Yeah, sure. ” So you. . . “I’m here to give you some interesting tricks. ” Then he gave up and left, and I was like, “What the fuck?” And it’s like music. So I went back to L. A. and about a month later, someone freaked out. They are very difficult to get, someone ordered a GT4 RS and couldn’t get it. Something happened and this guy calls me and says, “Do you need one?” I was there the next morning. I understand. And I never turn on the stereo. I don’t take him to dinner. It’s not that kind of thing. I just released it, it’s the ultimate in music, the rhythm of the engine. And when you get there, it sounds like a fucking symphony. It’s just great. So I bought two Porsches and a McLaren and now I have to slow down for a second.
Baltin: What is the maximum speed achieved so far?
Botti: Right in front of my space is the direct street. So, right away, it’s like 142. There are longer streets, but about 142 and the race cars come in at around 160.
Sage Bava: I mention that my smart friend Mike Cottone is an amazing trumpet player and he’s also a car enthusiast.
Botti: And he came here last week with me. And he ran with me last week. He’s the one who got me into this. He ordered my first Porsche, which I swapped for the GT4 RS, so yes, we’re very close.
Bava: It’s unbelievable. So I’ll be hiking very soon. I’m sure I’ll be sad to miss out on all of their lovely new cars.
Botti: I know. This year is shaping up to be mild until December 1st, but from December 1st to July, it’s almost every day. It is ok. Very crazy. But I’m super excited.
Bava: What made you create the songs on this album that you’ll be playing a lot in the coming months?They are so beautiful.
Botti: Thank you. Well, Joshua Bell, “My Funny Valentine,” we went on a field trip together six or seven years ago. And we were never given the opportunity to record it, so I knew I wanted to do it. On the first two tracks, I was definitely a big fan of the way Keith Jarrett performs “Danny Boy. “And when I was hiking with Barbra Streisand in 2012, she didn’t actually have an opening act, she would make me pass out and do duets with her, and then I’d play one of my own songs, and then she’d finish. , and then she’d come back and I’d leave. She sang “Bewitched” and I was never given to play it with her. And I said, “Man, I love this song. ” That’s when I knew I wanted to do “Danny Boy” and “Bewitched,” and the rest of the songs we combined with David Foster and the band during a little three-day “get to know each other” vibe. And that’s when we, somebody, released a song, we did “Blue and Green. “It seemed natural, so it all fell into place.
Bava: And then that last song, “Fix You,” came out of nowhere. It’s so beautiful and flows so well.
Botti: The original song was meant to be this Paul Simon song called “American Tune. ” And it just didn’t work on the trumpet and it’s a much longer song. And that was the fun of making an album without a massive orchestra. , just being able to say, “Wait, I love ‘Fix You’. Let’s see if it works. ” And everything happened very quickly.
Baltin: Big Coldplay fan. But man, “American Tune” is one of the most important songs of all time.
Botti: That’s my favorite, man. It’s so perfect. I love Paul, I’ve been lucky enough to paint with him for so long and I think his display at the Hollywood Bowl is incredible. I know he did a duet excursion with Sting, when I was in his band, we did. stuff with [Bob] Dylan, but when it’s just Paul up there, and he likes “René and Georgette Magritte” and “The Dog After the War,” and oh my God, it’s just epic. This guy is a modern genius.
Baltin: You’ve talked about Paul, you’ve talked about Streisand, you’ve worked with a lot of other people. Are there other people you’ve learned a lot from?
Botti: Yeah, I guess everything, in terms of timelines, is nothing compared to Sting. When I joined his band, I never imagined that we’d like to have more productive friends and family, so dating has probably been, I’d say, the key to my success. It opened so many doors for me, and then through osmosis, and spent all those years, and whatever. If you are informed about the appetite for travel and how to go on tour, you will be surprised at how many musicians think they know how to tour, but they don’t. So yes, I’m grateful to be able to have him as a mentor.
Bava: Working with all those geniuses, and you yourself, I think, have those same qualities, what have you discovered in creating an inspiration that now has a momentary nature for you through the arrangements and the writing, this procedure of creation, the line of passage??
Botti: I guess everybody’s different. I’m grateful to have a musical point of view. A lot of artists go out and do absolutely other things all the time. And I know how I need the trumpet to sound and how I need it to fit, and I put myself in the place of the one who pays attention and try to keep it in a safe position on the record. Using Miles Davis as an example, a lot of other people love this Kind of Blue record, and that same audience would. You may not necessarily pay attention to Sam Rivers and Miles Davis Live in Tokyo. Or if you walk past someone’s house, they don’t say, “Wait a second, I just have to turn Miles Miles away for a second. “Lifestyle records are short, and all of them come from this specific point of view, if that makes sense.
Bava: Yes, the voice of your instrument is amazing. He has his own unique voice.
Botti: Yes, I’m very lucky and I’m satisfied with that.
Bava: I’d love to hear more about how to locate your voice as a musician. Was it a singular year where you felt like you had discovered this, is it just the culmination of so many of those experiences?But right from the start when you start, it sounds like your voice is strong and present.
Botti: Well, thank you. I go out and play the trumpet with a melancholy approach. I still can’t forget the first time I heard Miles play “My Funny Valentine” and how it made such an impression on me. My voice, it’s just the way I play, and somehow, through some weird and glorious pauses, it reaches a lot of other people, and that’s the problem, because there’s a lot of other people who could have their own individual voice. But they keep it a secret, or frame it incorrectly, or they record it in a band that has some other tool like a saxophone. There are a lot of things that can play a role. And I’m pleased with the result, I’m very grateful to all the record companies and to Sting.
Bava: During your tour, you visit a lot of massive places and then you spend a lot of time in Blue Note. What do you think is the biggest difference between betting in front of such a giant and then betting in an intimate space?
I will say this, there hasn’t been a year where the band hasn’t broken up at least once. That’s 56 performances in 28 nights without a night’s rest. And I never need to disturb the audience. So we played about an hour and forty-five minutes according to the program. And that doesn’t stop that. And then we’re a week in San Francisco, a week in Seattle, so it’s really stressful and I ask a lot of people. So rarely are big places really fun. But at the end of Blue Note’s 56 concerts, we come up with new things, whether it’s humor or a song we’re betting on or something, because it’s like an educational field. That’s great.
Baltin: So what’s your favorite moment there?
Botti: It’s great when Sting or John Mayer get on the same level as us in the jams, it’s great. At my first concert after school, I left school and went to sign up for [Frank] Sinatra, and I did this. two-week concert with Sinatra. And I still don’t forget that here he’s walking, it’s the Universal Amphitheater, and he’s walking on the level, and it’s larger than life, yet he’s talking to an audience member. He sums it all up in a very informal conversation. He’s like an old school comedian. And then he turns around and interacts with the group. So the audience not only wants to see the celebrity, but also interact on all those other levels. The Blue Note, that’s it, and we take data on how we interact with it. other people in the audience or like what they like and their faces and things like that. And it’s wonderful when, out of nowhere, Sting jumps on the level and sings “In the Wee Small Hours in the Morning” with me and other people. go crazy