Chris Botti's New Album, When I Fall In Love, Jumps 109 Positions On Top 200 Album Chart In Wake of Performances on 'Today' and 'The Oprah Winfrey Show'

With his new album, When I Fall In Love, virtuoso jazz trumpeter Chris Botti has tapped into the record-buying public's growing desire for classic romantic jazz sounds. Bulleting up the Billboard Top 200 best-selling albums chart, When I Fall In Love, Botti's first full- length traditional jazz album, has made its way into the ranks of the Top 40 best-selling albums, of any genre, in the country.

Released on September 28, 2004, When I Fall In Love is currently the #1 Top Jazz Album and the #1 Traditional Jazz Album in America. The album peaked at #3 on Billboard's prestigious Heatseekers best-selling new albums chart. When I Fall In Love is the third best-selling traditional jazz album of the year.

On the strength of a pair of career-defining television performances on the "Today" show (Friday, November 12) and "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (Tuesday, November 16), Botti's breakthrough collection of lush romantic sounds recently skyrocketed up an astounding 109 spots on the Top 200, jumping from #146 (week ending 11/14) to #37 (week ending 11/21), reflecting an incredible 310.8% increase in sales in a single week. With the soaring success of When I Fall In Love, Chris Botti has experienced the biggest single week's sales leap of any traditional jazz album recorded by an instrumental artist to be released in the SoundScan era.

On his new album, Chris Botti, recently picked as one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," breathes new soul and magic into classic pop penned by Irving Berlin ("What'll I Do?"), Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart ("My Romance"), Ira and George Gershwin ("Someone To Watch Over Me"), Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer ("One For My Baby And One More For The Road") and others. Featuring guest vocal performances from Paula Cole ("What'll I Do" & "How Love Should Be") and Sting ("La Belle Dame Sans Regrets"), When I Fall In Love includes Sade's more recently penned (but still classic) song, "No Ordinary Love," and the ever-haunting "Time to Say Goodbye (Con te Partiro)." While providing fresh interpretations of some of the world's greatest love songs, Botti creates new pop standards of his own with songs like "La Belle Dame Sans Regrets," written by Dominic Miller and Sting (who sings on the track).

Botti, who opened a series of shows on the North American leg of Sting's "Sacred Love" tour in January-March, 2004, recently headlined his own stateside gigs in support of When I Fall In Love before once again opening for Sting on a European tour which runs through December 9.

Botti's association with Sting dates back to 1999, when the trumpeter joined the pop legend's band as featured soloist on the "Brand New Day" tour, which lasted two-and-a-half years. Veteran of both the contemporary jazz world and mainstream pop studio scene, Botti has worked with Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant, and renowned film composer John Barry, among others. Film critic Rex Reed has called him "the sexiest trumpeter since Chet Baker." Botti joined Paul Simon's band in 1990, where he remained for the next five years, and, in 1995, he recorded his solo debut, First Wish. After scoring the 1996 film "Caught," Botti returned in 1997 with his second LP, Midnight Without You, which was followed by Slowing Down the World two years later. His 2002 watershed album, Night Sessions, peaked at #2 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart while his seasonal collection, December, released the same year, hit #7 on the same chart.

Released in September 2003, A Thousand Kisses Deep, Botti's last best-selling collection, entered at #20 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and hit the #3 position on the Top Contemporary Jazz chart.

SOURCE: Columbia Records

CONTACT: Kim Jakwerth, Marleah Leslie & Associates, +1-212-620-3126;
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