Cris Botti - Live

Chris Botti is an American trumpeter and composer; born in Portland, Oregon, and a native of Oregon. He plays a Martin Committee trumpet made in 1939, and uses a mouthpiece from Bach made in 1926, having recently retired his 1920 Bach mouthpiece.
As of 2006, Botti has recorded eight solo albums. His first few efforts could safely be classified as smooth jazz, though critic Alex Henderson argues that Botti's music was a cut above much of the genre; reviewing his 1999 effort, Slowing Down the World, Henderson writes "it would be a major mistake to lump it in with the outright elevator muzak that Kenny G, Dave Koz, Najee, and Richard Elliot were known for ... Botti is capable of a lot more."Though still featuring heavy contributions from pop music singers, Botti's more recent albums have found him exploring more traditional jazz territory, with lush orchestral arrangements even earning comparisons to Gil Evans.
Botti has also performed or recorded with artists such as Sting, Chaka Khan, Andrea Bocelli, The Blue Nile, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Dave Koz, Jeff Lorber, David Torn, Lee Ritenour, Renee Olstead, Paula Cole and Brian Culbertson. Botti was also a member of Bruford Levin Upper Extremities, a more experimental, jazz fusion-oriented group.
Several tabloids have claimed that Botti had been seen dating NBC's The Today Show anchor, Katie Couric, although additional sources dispute this. They reportedly broke up in February 2005.
Botti is also a radio host. His show, "Chill with Chris Botti," focuses mainly on "chill" music, which is described as "smooth jazz with a touch of cool jazz."