Chris Botti with Sting- Seven Days

If I were to ask who is the largest selling American jazz instrumentalist, your answer would be...?
You peeked at the title.
Yes, Chris Botti.
Some people are just made to play.  Chris is one of those.
When he was 12 years old, he heard Miles Davis play "My Funny Valentine".
He then realized that playing the trumpet was his key to "doing something meaningful with my life".
At 17 he enrolled in Mount Hood Community College in his home state of Oregon, and finished out his senior credits there.  He constructed this scenario so that he could play at Portland clubs in the evenings.
After graduating from high school, Botti studied under jazz educator David Baker and trumpet professor Bill Adam at Indiana University. Botti was also the recipient of two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts which allowed him to study with trumpeter Woody Shaw and saxophonist George Coleman during two consecutive summer breaks.
He left Indiana University during his senior year so he could do a short touring stint with Frank Sinatra.
I think I would have, too.
In the 1990's, he began most of his touring and recording.
During that period, he also performed/recorded with Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant, Scritti Politti, Roger Daltrey and others, including Sting.
This is from a performance at the historic Boston Symphony Hall with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops on September 18 and 19, 2008. The show includes guest appearances from Josh Groban, Yo-Yo Ma, John Mayer, Katharine McPhee, Sting, Lucia Micarelli and Steven Tyler.
What a lineup.