Chris Botti Lights the Stage

Ahead of his performance at the 14th edition of Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival, we had chance to ask award-winning Chris Botti a few questions! 

It’s that time of the year in Dubai where the country is treated to one of the biggest festivals of the year – the 14th edition of the Emirates Airline’s Dubai International Jazz Festival!
 
The highlights of the 3-day event includes some of the most legendary pop, rock and jazz artists including;  YouTube sensation’s PostModern JukeBox, James, Toto, David Gray, Chris Botti, Sting, La Bomba De Tiempo and Santana.
 
With a number of food and beverage vendors present at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, the 3-day event is expected to be filled with thousands of fans and admirers.

ExpatWoman was given the opportunity to go backstage and meet the talented and delightful Chris Botti, who shared his experience of constantly being on tour and being an expat himself.
 
1. How is living abroad
I love touring so much that I actually a year and a half ago moved into a hotel and sold all my possessions. I own a trumpet and a few suits and that’s it. I am very committed to what I do and traveling around the world is not a problem for me, I am very fortunate to do what I do.

SEE ALSO: Round up for the 2016 Dubai Jazz Festival 

2. Is there anything that you keep with you that reminds you of home?
My trumpet is my home. It’s my whole life and I have just 1 trumpet. Keith Richards has 900 guitars, I have a commitment to one particular instrument and that’s where my home is.

3. What’s your favorite part about traveling?
Since my career has become where it is, it’s the ability to have and employ the same musicians. They become my family in a lot of ways and to be able to have world class caliber of people and keep them on the road all the time, that’s the way.

4. Who’s your favourite celebrity that you’ve worked with?
By far, my favourite is Sting because of our relationship which far surpasses music. We are very good friends. I would say he is number 1 by far. I have worked with everyone and I think Boccelli is fantastic and john Mayer is amazing, there are some great artists that I have worked with, but my friendship and admiration for String is the top.

SEE ALSO: Check out all the celebrities EW have interview over the years

5. Advice for mothers influencing children
Jazz is such an art form that’s like a language and they really need to have the intensity and practicing the instrument and then learn the language of jazz. And the two don’t need to be done together. A lot of people are such fantastic instrumentalists but they don’t play jazz very well. And a lot of people play jazz very well but they don’t have chops, they can’t communicate it and their sound is deficient. So, I would tell parents to really have their children work on the fundamentals of their instrument first, for many years, and then they can start infusing the beautiful vocabulary of jazz.

6. Your music and its influence
Anyone whose going to see the show tonight is going to recognize the music I make is built on surrounding myself with incredible artists and a lot of many years and thousands of hours of practice, which is different to a lot of young people today and there’s a thing that they [young people] have to watch out for which is the instant gratification of the internet and of YouTube and their wanting to become stars overnight, it can kind of knock them off a path of learning how to play the violin or the cello, or becoming a great dancer or a great trumpet player or whatever, and they have all these incredible opportunities to be in touch with people from around the world and to learn things. I would say that the most important thing is to try to make it small steps rather than try to get to the big steps.
 
Chris Botti is a world renowned and Grammy award trumpeter who has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including; Josh Groban, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Steven Tyler, Frank Sinatra, and Sting, whom he will be performing alongside with tonight at the big event. 

www.dubaijazzfest.com