Chris Botti on Board Josh Groban Tour

With his new album, When I Fall In Love, sitting comfortably at #1 on the Traditional Jazz album sales chart, virtuoso jazz trumpeter Chris Botti has been invited to open for Josh Groban on the bestselling pop vocalist's upcoming tour. The tour opens in Tampa on Tuesday, January 25 and winds up in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 19 (see full itinerary following).

With When I Fall In Love, Botti has tapped into the record-buying public's desire for classic romantic jazz sounds. Released on September 28, 2004, When I Fall In Love has, according to SoundScan, occupied the #1 slot on the Traditional Jazz Album sales chart seven weeks out of the past 10 and is currently in its fifth consecutive week at #1.

Peaking at #1 on the Top Jazz overall album sales chart, Botti's new album recently jumped an astounding 109 spots -- from #146 (week ending 11/14) to #37 (week ending 11/21) on the Top 200 -- 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). With the soaring success of When I Fall In Love, Chris Botti 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.

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.

                    Chris Botti/Josh Groban Tour Dates

  Tuesday, January 25, 2005     Tampa FL         St. Pete Times Forum
  Wednesday, January 26, 2005   Estero FL        Germain Arena
  Saturday, January 29, 2005    Fort Lauderdale FL  Office Depot Center
  Monday, January 31, 2005      Orlando FL       TD Waterhouse Centre
  Tuesday, February 01, 2005    Atlanta GA       Philips Arena
  Friday, February 04, 2005     Raleigh NC       RBC Center
  Saturday, February 05, 2005   Norfolk VA       Scope Arena
  Monday, February 07, 2005     Wilkes Barre PA  Wachovia Arena
  Tuesday, February 08, 2005    Uncasville CT    Mohegan Sun
  Thursday, February 10, 2005   Manchester NH    Verizon Wireless Arena
  Friday, February 11, 2005     New York NY      Madison Square Garden
  Monday, February 14, 2005     Cleveland OH     Gund Arena
  Tuesday, February 15, 2005    Hershey PA       Giant Center @ Hershey Park
  Friday, February 18, 2005     Moline IL        The Mark of the Quad Cities
  Saturday, February 19, 2005   Milwaukee WI     US Cellular Arena
  Tuesday, February 22, 2005    Green Bay WI     Resch Center
  Wednesday, February 23, 2005  Minneapolis MN   Target Center
  Friday, February 25, 2005     Sioux City IA    Tyson Event Center
  Saturday, February 26, 2005   Rockford IL      Rockford Metrocentre
  Tuesday, March 01, 2005       Grand Rapids MI  Van Andel Arena
  Wednesday, March 02, 2005     Peoria IL        Peoria Civic Center Arena
  Friday, March 04, 2005        Oxford OH        Millett Hall
  Saturday, March 05, 2005      Louisville KY    Freedom Hall
  Tuesday, March 08, 2005       Ft. Wayne IN     Allen County War Memorial
  Wednesday, March 09, 2005     Evansville IN    Roberts Stadium
  Friday, March 11, 2005        New Orleans LA   New Orleans Arena
  Sunday, March 13, 2005        Oklahoma City OK Ford Center
  Tuesday, March 15, 2005       San Antonio TX   SBC Center
  Thursday, March 17, 2005      Phoenix AZ       America West Arena
  Saturday, March 19, 2005      Las Vegas NV     Mandalay Bay

  For press materials online, please visit: http://www.sonymusic/b2b

  http://www.chrisbotti.com/
  http://www.columbiarecords.com/

SOURCE: Columbia Records

CONTACT: Kim Jakwerth of Marleah Leslie & Associates, +1-212-620-3126,
kim@marleahleslie.com; or Fran DeFeo of Columbia Records, Media, New York,
+1-212-833-5784, fran_defeo@sonymusic.com

Web site: http://www.columbiarecords.com/
http://www.chrisbotti.com/
http://www.sonymusic/b2b