"That's maybe been my greatest asset in my music. People say, 'I'm sitting in the audience bawling my head off.' And that happens all the time. That emotion of being moved to where they have tears all the time -- it's much more difficult to do it with an instrument than with a lyric."
As an instrumentalist, jazz trumpeter Chris Botti has worked with artists from Steven Tyler to Andrea Bocelli to Frank Sinatra. He's still working with big names across genres, only now, they're joining him on his solo albums. In a career spanning four decades, Botti has become one of the world's best-selling instrumentalists. And despite traveling up to 300 days a year, he's playing in Arkansas for the very first time tonight.
FAQ
An Evening
With Chris Botti
WHEN — 8 p.m. today
WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville
COST — $45-$75
INFO — waltonartscenter.org
"Some musicians see being on the road as their work. I view playing music as my life," Botti says by phone from Texas just before starting another lengthy tour leg. "It's been a big thorn in my side -- [never getting] to Arkansas! And I am thrilled to finally be coming and performing! I thought I would make it to India before Arkansas!"
Though known for his jazz performances, Botti and the musicians he travels with make a point of filling his show with more -- more genres, more talent and more of the unexpected. Weaving among rock 'n' roll, jazz, classical and more takes the audience on a roller coaster ride at each show.
"The show is so radically different from my albums -- they are more moody," Botti says. Listening to a jazz album, "you want everyone to stay in a mood. But when you go to a show, [people] want to be blown out of their chairs. It's a completely different button that triggers the audience. They want to have their head expanded through seeing a real virtuoso on the instrument -- that visceral artistry."
-- Jocelyn Murphy
NAN What's Up on 12/02/2016