Today, Chris Botti is a wildly successful contemporary jazz trumpeter who has managed the impressive feat of garnering praise from both the critics and a mainstream audience alike. But, he didn’t always envision himself as a jazz trumpeter. Far from it, in fact.

Inspired by Miles Davis, Botti knew he didn’t want to be a jazz musician early in his career. However, his love of jazz, led him to create a new sound: a blend of pop music and jazz. Prior to recording his own albums, Botti worked with some of the most popular and most famous names in the music industry.

In 1990, Botti played in Paul Simon’s backup band during his world tour; he later became an integral part of Sting’s backup band on his two-year world tour. Botti worked with the likes of Natalie Merchant, Joni Mitchell, and Marc Cohn, and he’s also appeared on the albums of such legends as Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, and Thomas Dolby. Botti also has screen credit to his name, creating the score for the Hollywood flick, Caught, in 1996.

But, Botti didn’t simply work behind the scenes. He’s also released his fair share of albums, including: his debut album First Wish (1995), Midnight Without You (1997), Slowing Down The World (1999), Night Sessions (2001), The Very Best of Chris Botti (2002), December (2002), A Thousand Kisses Deep (2003), When I Fall In Love (2004), and To Love Again: the Duets (2005).

Thanks to an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, in 2004, viewers became enamored with the talented trumpeter, and his record sales soared. In fact, more than 50,000 copies of Botti's albums sold in the week following his appearance on Oprah. Fans also sought to find and purchase whatever Chris Botti concert tickets they could find.

His latest offering, To Love Again: the Duets, pairs Botti with such familiar names as Sting, Gladys Knight, Paula Cole, and Stephen Tyler. If the success following his appearance on Oprah is any indication, Botti is set to remain a fan favorite for many years to come.