DIMITRIOU'S JAZZ ALLEY CHRIS BOTTI Residency January 14 through January 18, 2026 Opening Night Review
CHRIS BOTTI
Residency 1/14/26 through 1/18/26
Dimitriou's Jazz Alley
Seattle, WA
Wednesday - January 14, 2026
I was blown away by the talent on the stage last night at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley. As a musician, I had a very basic idea of what Chris Botti’s show was going to be like but I never expected it to be so impactful. It was just a stunning display of musicianship and professionalism, while still maintaining a human interest element.
What I thoroughly enjoyed was the variety of music presented during the set. The show went from jazz to almost pop to blues to cinematic and damn near everything in between. It was like watching an anthology film where each segment was something different than the others yet still tied together by one particular musician - Chris Botti.
He had longtime musician friends with him as well as newer talents that were all equally impressive in their own right. And they made it all look so easy. That’s the part that got me. The phrase "there were no weak links" qualifies here. At one point there were all eight musicians on stage toward the very end of the set and it was magical. It really was.
I’m inspired as a fellow creative when I witness greatness like I did last night. I’m also reminded that hard work still has its place in this world of people trying to cut the line and get ahead of the game without putting in the work (just my opinion).
If you’re a fan of Chris Botti, then I’m preaching to the choir. However, if you’re not overly familiar with his work, I truly believe you will not only find some of the setlist amazing but you’ll leave the venue a Chris Botti fan. And, if you’re like me, you’ll leave a fan of every musician he had playing with him because they were all spectacular.
Chris was kind enough to answer some questions for me regarding his residency at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley:
Eclectic Arts Media: With so many songs to choose from, how do you choose to come up with your set list? Does the set list change every night?
Chris Botti: I don't know if the set list changes every night, but it certainly changes throughout the year. So by the time we come back to Jazz Alley, half the set will be completely different than last year, but it's also the way the players play the music. A lot of pop music today is kind of tethered to a computer, backing tracks, and click tracks, and it all sounds similar with no freedom to explore. If we play Footprints with two different bands, it will sound completely different. I don't think we've played Footprints before in Seattle; we're probably going to play it this year.
EAM: How important is improvisation to your live shows?
Chris Botti: It's everything. I guess maybe the benefit that we have is that I think a lot of pop musicians, especially singers, songwriters can get real down on playing the same song every night. Our set is determined by how we're improvising. If we're hooking up in the improvisational part, the melody and all that stuff is quite brief; it's really how we interact with one another. That's what makes a great show or a not-great show. I think that's what separates a great jazz group from popular music.
EAM: You've seen the music industry change in many ways since you started your career. Sales are now streams and downloads. New albums are immediately available online for free by artists. Where do you feel the music industry is headed in the next few years?
Chris Botti: If you mean the way that technology is changing the world in the next few years, I don't know, but I'll tell you. When I grew up, jazz was, you know, sitting at 1% of the amount of attention it got. Now I feel like my audience is maybe perhaps one of the last—I mean, there are of course exceptions to the rule, someone like Taylor Swift or something that has a lot of people coming to see her—but there are a lot of very popular acts that can't tour as much as we do, and I feel grateful to have an audience that's very excited about getting dressed up to come out to the show and to sit there amongst other people and enjoy a night of music.
I don't know if that's because they're adults and that young people are being swayed away by social media or the instant gratification of their iPhone, but in a weird kind of way, we are sitting right now in this current climate in a really, really lovely place, and I'm very grateful for it. Now that could all change in a few years, but for right now we're doing great.
EAM: What new plans are coming up for you in 2026?
Chris Botti: Hopefully I'll make a new record in the spring or summer, and that'll be out probably in 2027 sometime, but for me the most important thing is to remain fluid on my instrument and to practice and to stay in shape. The trumpet is a very unforgiving instrument, so I need to take care of it.
EAM: Would you ever consider doing more co-headline tours with another artist, similar to what Elton John and Billy Joel did in many shows together? If so, who would you like to tour with in the future?
Chris Botti: We've done a fair amount of those. We did a co-bill with Diana Krall, another with Earth, Wind & Fire. We have also been on tour with Sting, Josh Groban, Barbra Streisand, etc. We are always open to it, but it is a lot harder to find a good match than you'd think.
EAM: Last but not least, thank you so much for taking the time. One last question. What's the best or one of the best pieces of advice you've ever been given? And what piece of advice would you pass on to a budding musician, artist, creative?
Chris Botti: While it wasn't advice to me, I remember Joni Mitchell once told someone that success is 99% drive and 1% talent. I think the general public thinks you're born with some God-given talent; that's what makes you successful. I know a lot of great musicians—I mean a lot of great musicians—that have never had success. Sometimes it's because they've made life choices that maybe they don't want to tour as much or they don't want to move to the city where those sort of dreams are made, like London, New York, or Los Angeles. They want to stay local, which is totally their right.
The knowledge that I had early on that drive is as important or more important than actual talent, because then the drive will add to the talent with practice and that sort of stuff. That kind of thing resonated with me when she said that. I heard her give that in an interview on the road, and that was like 1997.
Young people always ask, what advice would you give me to become successful? When I first started to move to New York, I wasn't thinking about how to be successful or famous; I saw success as being able to pay my rent and not live at home with my parents. If I was able to pay the rent that month by either playing on the street or in the subway or playing gigs that were horrible but scrape up enough money, I thought I'd won the Academy Award. So I don't think about twenty years ahead, but to look two feet in front of you and say, "Am I impressing the musician next to me? Would they call their friends and say this guy's a really great trumpet player?" That's the most important currency you can have on the way up.
EAM: Thank you Chris for taking the time!
There are two shows on Friday 1/16 and Saturday 1/17 night at 7:30pm and 9:30pm each day as well as one show on Sunday 1/18 at 7:30pm. Tickets are truly selling fast so go directly to the Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley website - HERE - to purchase your tickets.
What an incredible experience last night. Chris Botti and his band of musicians created a perfect night of music and entertainment.
Recommended!
Best,
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts Media
Connect with Eclectic Arts Media: Social Media and Email Links
Residency 1/14/26 through 1/18/26
Dimitriou's Jazz Alley
Seattle, WA
Wednesday - January 14, 2026
(All Photos: Mark Sugiyama for Eclectic Arts Media (c) 2026)
I was blown away by the talent on the stage last night at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley. As a musician, I had a very basic idea of what Chris Botti’s show was going to be like but I never expected it to be so impactful. It was just a stunning display of musicianship and professionalism, while still maintaining a human interest element.
What I thoroughly enjoyed was the variety of music presented during the set. The show went from jazz to almost pop to blues to cinematic and damn near everything in between. It was like watching an anthology film where each segment was something different than the others yet still tied together by one particular musician - Chris Botti.
He had longtime musician friends with him as well as newer talents that were all equally impressive in their own right. And they made it all look so easy. That’s the part that got me. The phrase "there were no weak links" qualifies here. At one point there were all eight musicians on stage toward the very end of the set and it was magical. It really was.
I’m inspired as a fellow creative when I witness greatness like I did last night. I’m also reminded that hard work still has its place in this world of people trying to cut the line and get ahead of the game without putting in the work (just my opinion).
If you’re a fan of Chris Botti, then I’m preaching to the choir. However, if you’re not overly familiar with his work, I truly believe you will not only find some of the setlist amazing but you’ll leave the venue a Chris Botti fan. And, if you’re like me, you’ll leave a fan of every musician he had playing with him because they were all spectacular.
Chris was kind enough to answer some questions for me regarding his residency at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley:
Eclectic Arts Media: With so many songs to choose from, how do you choose to come up with your set list? Does the set list change every night?
Chris Botti: I don't know if the set list changes every night, but it certainly changes throughout the year. So by the time we come back to Jazz Alley, half the set will be completely different than last year, but it's also the way the players play the music. A lot of pop music today is kind of tethered to a computer, backing tracks, and click tracks, and it all sounds similar with no freedom to explore. If we play Footprints with two different bands, it will sound completely different. I don't think we've played Footprints before in Seattle; we're probably going to play it this year.
EAM: How important is improvisation to your live shows?
Chris Botti: It's everything. I guess maybe the benefit that we have is that I think a lot of pop musicians, especially singers, songwriters can get real down on playing the same song every night. Our set is determined by how we're improvising. If we're hooking up in the improvisational part, the melody and all that stuff is quite brief; it's really how we interact with one another. That's what makes a great show or a not-great show. I think that's what separates a great jazz group from popular music.
EAM: You've seen the music industry change in many ways since you started your career. Sales are now streams and downloads. New albums are immediately available online for free by artists. Where do you feel the music industry is headed in the next few years?
Chris Botti: If you mean the way that technology is changing the world in the next few years, I don't know, but I'll tell you. When I grew up, jazz was, you know, sitting at 1% of the amount of attention it got. Now I feel like my audience is maybe perhaps one of the last—I mean, there are of course exceptions to the rule, someone like Taylor Swift or something that has a lot of people coming to see her—but there are a lot of very popular acts that can't tour as much as we do, and I feel grateful to have an audience that's very excited about getting dressed up to come out to the show and to sit there amongst other people and enjoy a night of music.
I don't know if that's because they're adults and that young people are being swayed away by social media or the instant gratification of their iPhone, but in a weird kind of way, we are sitting right now in this current climate in a really, really lovely place, and I'm very grateful for it. Now that could all change in a few years, but for right now we're doing great.
EAM: What new plans are coming up for you in 2026?
Chris Botti: Hopefully I'll make a new record in the spring or summer, and that'll be out probably in 2027 sometime, but for me the most important thing is to remain fluid on my instrument and to practice and to stay in shape. The trumpet is a very unforgiving instrument, so I need to take care of it.
EAM: Would you ever consider doing more co-headline tours with another artist, similar to what Elton John and Billy Joel did in many shows together? If so, who would you like to tour with in the future?
Chris Botti: We've done a fair amount of those. We did a co-bill with Diana Krall, another with Earth, Wind & Fire. We have also been on tour with Sting, Josh Groban, Barbra Streisand, etc. We are always open to it, but it is a lot harder to find a good match than you'd think.
EAM: Last but not least, thank you so much for taking the time. One last question. What's the best or one of the best pieces of advice you've ever been given? And what piece of advice would you pass on to a budding musician, artist, creative?
Chris Botti: While it wasn't advice to me, I remember Joni Mitchell once told someone that success is 99% drive and 1% talent. I think the general public thinks you're born with some God-given talent; that's what makes you successful. I know a lot of great musicians—I mean a lot of great musicians—that have never had success. Sometimes it's because they've made life choices that maybe they don't want to tour as much or they don't want to move to the city where those sort of dreams are made, like London, New York, or Los Angeles. They want to stay local, which is totally their right.
The knowledge that I had early on that drive is as important or more important than actual talent, because then the drive will add to the talent with practice and that sort of stuff. That kind of thing resonated with me when she said that. I heard her give that in an interview on the road, and that was like 1997.
Young people always ask, what advice would you give me to become successful? When I first started to move to New York, I wasn't thinking about how to be successful or famous; I saw success as being able to pay my rent and not live at home with my parents. If I was able to pay the rent that month by either playing on the street or in the subway or playing gigs that were horrible but scrape up enough money, I thought I'd won the Academy Award. So I don't think about twenty years ahead, but to look two feet in front of you and say, "Am I impressing the musician next to me? Would they call their friends and say this guy's a really great trumpet player?" That's the most important currency you can have on the way up.
EAM: Thank you Chris for taking the time!
There are two shows on Friday 1/16 and Saturday 1/17 night at 7:30pm and 9:30pm each day as well as one show on Sunday 1/18 at 7:30pm. Tickets are truly selling fast so go directly to the Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley website - HERE - to purchase your tickets.
What an incredible experience last night. Chris Botti and his band of musicians created a perfect night of music and entertainment.
Recommended!
Best,
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts Media
Connect with Eclectic Arts Media: Social Media and Email Links
(All Photos: Mark Sugiyama for Eclectic Arts Media (c) 2026)
(All Photos: Mark Sugiyama for Eclectic Arts Media (c) 2026)
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