A jazz player with a truly global purview, trumpeter/composer Chris Botti is one of the very few pop superstars that the genre has produced in the last few decades. While he always keeps it accessible and user-friendly, there is no denying the man’s substance, especially in his wide-ranging, integral fusions of world sounds and Western music. Smooth jazz be damned; 2012’s Impressions is a quietly dazzling collection of orchestral settings that interprets Chopin, Piazzolla and Randy Newman (three of my favorites) alongside an array of sympathetic originals. His touch is light, but Chris Botti is no lightweight. He is also a looker.
Chris Botti performs at the Bardavon on Thursday, June 25 at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $57 to $85 based on location and can be purchased at the Bardavon box office at 35 Market Street in Poughkeepsie, (845) 473-2072; the Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC) box office at 601 Broadway in Kingston, (845) 339-6088; or through TicketMaster at (800) 745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com.
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