Chris Botti

Trumpet maestro Chris Botti, the world’s best-selling jazz instrumentalist, brings his gift for melody and his remarkable purity of tone to the elegant MSU Riley Center on May 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Botti’s most recent album, "Impressions," won a Grammy Award as Best Pop Instrumental Album. But he loves good music no matter what the genre. While grounded in stylish jazz, his concerts also explore rock, classical, R & B, and Latin sounds. And they feature more instrumental fireworks than his romantic ballad–laced recordings.

“When I do a live show, it is completely different from my records,” he said. “You’ve got to come out and show them chops and technique and play all this virtuosic stuff.”

For his ballads, Botti has mastered the art of yearning restraint. But when it’s time to cut loose, the Riley Center audience will learn to its delight that he can, indeed, deliver “virtuosic stuff.”

Tickets are $59 and $53 at the MSU Riley Center Box Office, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets can be purchased online at www.msurileycenter.com or by calling the box office at 601-696-2200.