Chris Botti
Blue Note131 West 3rd Street, New York 10012
Chris Botti brings his 22nd Annual Holiday Residency to Blue Note for a December date in the trumpeter’s four-week run, which stretches from mid-December into early January and includes the Christmas and New Year’s period. Botti is the sole artist billed for this performance; the listing does not name a supporting lineup or any scheduled guest. That leaves room for the residency’s history of impromptu musical appearances, rather than promising one for this particular night. He has called the club a place that feels like coming home.
A world-renowned trumpeter, Botti has made Blue Note a recurring December home since 2005. The Wall Street Journal called him “a December institution in the Big Apple at the Blue Note,” a fitting description of a residency now in its 22nd year. Across earlier editions, Botti’s Blue Note performances have included unannounced guests such as Sting and John Mayer in 2011. The engagement has also drawn attendees from across entertainment, including Mary J. Blige and Paul Haggis, underscoring the long-running pull of these holiday appearances.
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.