By Taylor Smith

Are you a jazz lover?

You won’t want to miss Chris Botti at Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank on Friday, October 4 at 8 p.m.

Botti is currently the best-selling American instrumental artist in the world, with four No. 1 jazz albums. His 2012 album, Impressions, joins an incredible series of releases, including his 2004 When I Fall In Love. Botti has performed and recorded with Lady Gaga, Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Sting, Tony Bennett, Joshua Bell, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, and Barbara Streisand.

Born and raised in Portland and Corvallis, Oregon, Botti says that his mother was his earliest musical influence. A passionate pianist and piano teacher, Botti’s mother exposed her son to music and musical instruments at a young age. The pair also traveled to Italy (and lived there for two years), where Botti came into contact with musicians ranging from opera singers to composers and violinists. After graduating from high school, Botti studied jazz (and specifically trumpet) at Indiana University. During his time as an undergraduate, he received two grants from National Endowment for the Arts. These grants allowed him to spend his summers studying trumpet with world-renowned teachers.

During his senior year at Indiana University, Botti began touring stints with Frank Sinatra and Buddy Rich. After graduation, he moved to New York City and met Paul Simon. The two became close friends, and Botti attributes much of his early success to his work with Simon. Their 1991 New York Central Park concert was commercially released as the album Concert in the Park, and led to subsequent touring stints and high-profile collaborations.

Botti has sold more than 4 million albums. His trumpeting skills have been displayed at elite concert venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House and the Real Teatro di San Carlo in Italy.

Ticket prices for the Count Basie performance range from $30-99.

To purchase, visit https://thebasie.org/events/chris-botti-2019/.