The Oprah-endorsed trumpeter plays Beijing
Riding his carefully cultivated wave of fame, complete with a requisite Oprah endorsement, jazz trumpeter Chris Botti swung through Beijing for a private performance at 798's Acoustic House in April, a month ahead of his performance at Forbidden City Concert Hall on May 18. This tour, his first in China, comes on the heels of his latest album, Italia, a slickly packaged combination of jazz covers, orchestral themes and collaborations with everyone from Bocelli to Dean Martin, in a noteworthy backing to a 1957 recording. It’s the sort of music that might blend into the background of a dinner party-Cbut don’t call it “smooth jazz,” a term that makes Botti wince.

“These labels, smooth jazz, adult contemporary, whatever... the connotation is people listen to bad music at dinner. I don't,” rebukes Botti. Indeed, there is a depth and sensibility lurking in Botti’s music that transcends the Kenny G category, just as his 50-Most-Beautiful-People face hides a serious musician dedicated to his craft.

In his sneak-peak for the press, Botti, with the excellent anti-star Billy Childs on piano, performed two of his old standbys, “My Funny Valentine” and Ennio Morricone’s theme from Cinema Paradiso, evoking the smooth romance of his albums.

His performance next month, he says, will be another story. “My concerts are nothing like my albums,” he said. “People come expecting a lush, controlled trip, and it’s a rollercoaster.”

Listeners accustomed to the tight movement of Botti’s albums may be surprised by the freewheeling improvisation that comes out of Botti’s group of top-notch musicians and guest performances at his live shows. “I will match my band up against anyone: any rock group, pop group ¡¬ anyone,” Botti enthuses. “But its hard for me to say that and have you believe it,” he adds with a smile.

Botti credits the shock-value of this gap between expectation and reality as “the single biggest reason for my success.” Perhaps that’s why some promoters have been touting the concert as a “film theme music” revue, a rumor Botti brushes aside quickly. Or perhaps that’s just the aspect of Botti (who does do several interpretations of film scores) that his marketing team thinks would best facilitate the expansion of his global brand.

Asked if the May 18 performance, his first in Beijing, would have any special nods to Chinese music, Botti smiled slyly. “We’re going to have some surprise elements,” he said. “But I’m not going to say what it is yet, because I don’t want to blow it.”

Keith Griffith

Details

Chris Botti

Where: Forbidden City Concert Hall
When: May 18, 7:30pm
How Much: ￥80-980