rumpeter Chris Botti is a gifted instrumentalist, a talented composer, and a charismatic performer who--since the release of his first solo album in 1995--has created a series of recordings that have made him a virtual genre-of-one in the realm of contemporary jazz. Through his singular combination of lush atmos-pheres and thoughtful improvisations, Botti has earned both critical acclaim and mainstream appreciation.
Botti's latest album, To Love Again, a collection of pop jazz standards from the acclaimed trumpeter and nine superstar guest vocalists, is a worthy successor to Botti's last RIAA gold-certified album, When I Fall In Love.
To Love Again, which is available as both a traditional CD and as a Dual Disc, showcases Chris Botti's inimitable velvet tone and sublime trumpet phrasings on 13 newly recorded pop and jazz standards featuring nine stand-out vocal performances by some of the greatest singers in modern pop, jazz, and rock. After the first week of release the album debuted in the Billboard Top 200 in the #18 chart position promising great things. Billboard Magazine has predicted it could be "an even bigger hit" than it's predecessor which remains in the Top Five of the Traditional Jazz Chart.
Joining Chris on To Love Again are guest vocalists Sting ("What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life'"), Paula Cole ("My One And Only Love"), Michael Bubl("Let There Be Love"), Jill Scott ("Good Morning Heartache"), Paul Buchanan ("Are You Lonesome Tonight'"), Gladys Knight ("Lover Man"), Renee Olstead ("Pennies From Heaven"), Rosa Passos ("Here Comes That Rainy Day"), and, yes, that Steven Tyler (on Charlie Chaplin's "Smile").
Rounding out To Love Again are the instrumental tracks "What's New'" "I'll Be Seeing You," "Embraceable You," and "To Love Again." As on his last album, Chris Botti is joined once again by the London Session Orchestra, who provide lush tonal coloration to the album's arrangements.
The Dual Disc edition of To Love Again features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage on the "Making of" the album along with interviews and studio performances and more.
To Love Again follows the extraordinary success of Botti's groundbreaking last album, When I Fall In Love, which has sold more than 500,000 copies to-date.
Released on September 28, 2004, When I Fall In Love tapped into the record-buying public's desire for classic romantic jazz sounds, quickly hitting the #1 slot on both the Traditional Jazz albums sales chart and the Top Jazz overall album sales chart. When I Fall In Love debuted at #1 on the Traditional Jazz Album Sales chart and spent an incredible 17 weeks at #1 (including a spectacular 14 consecutive week run in the top slot). Botti's When I Fall In Love also spent four weeks as the #1 album on the Jazz Overall Album Sales chart.
Shortly after the album's release, When I Fall In Love jumped an astounding 109 spots--from #146 (week ending 11/14) to #37 (week ending 11/21) on the Top 200, the biggest single week's sales leap of any traditional jazz album recorded by an instrumental artist to be released in the SoundScan era.
Botti's association with Sting--who sings with Botti on both To Love Again and When I Fall In Love--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 #2 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart while his seasonal collection, December, released the same year, hit #7 on the same chart.
Released in September 2003, A Thousand Kisses Deep entered at #20 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and hit the #3 position on the Contemporary Jazz chart.
