Chris Botti
Blue Note131 West 3rd Street, New York 10012
Chris Botti returns to Blue Note on New Year’s Eve for a late set in his 22nd Annual Holiday Residency. The four-week engagement runs from mid-December into early January and has made the club his December home since 2005. This date is part of a run that includes both Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with Botti billed as the evening’s sole named act. The residency has previously brought impromptu guests to the stage, including Sting and John Mayer, though no guest or supporting lineup is announced for this performance.
Born in Portland, Oregon, Botti is a trumpeter described by Blue Note as “one of the most popular instrumentalists in the world.” His work has brought jazz-chart albums, Gold and Platinum records, Grammy Awards and crossover recognition; his official biography characterizes the music by its “glowing tone and regal melodicism” and “cinematic quality.” He has played with artists including Sting, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock and Yo-Yo Ma. The Wall Street Journal has called him “a December institution in the Big Apple at the Blue Note,” a description rooted in this long-running holiday return.
Blue Note Jazz Club is a dedicated listening room in the heart of Manhattan's jazz district, where the music is the focus and the space is designed to let the sound fill the room. The club features a stage with a small audience area, and the atmosphere is one of quiet concentration on the music. Shows typically begin at 8:00 PM with a second set at 10:30 PM, and the audience sits on chairs close to the stage. The club has a bar, and drinks are available. The experience is primarily about listening to live jazz, with occasional gospel and soul performances, and the audience often stays to talk and enjoy the music after the sets.