Chris Botti performs at AKM

ISTANBUL

Grammy Award-winning master trumpeter and composer Chris Botti performed on Nov. 2 at the newly-reopened Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) in Istanbul, accompanied by other musicians.

In his speech onstage, Botti expressed his gratitude for being able to perform in the city again.

“We are grateful to have been given the opportunity to make music in Istanbul many times. It is wonderful to be asked to listen to our music again. The most important thing here is to come back to the city we enjoyed playing in,” he said.

He also expressed his pleasure to be onstage with talented and successful names in jazz music.

During the two-hour concert, Botti was accompanied by Lee Pearson on drums, Leonardo Amuedo on guitar, Holger Marjamaa on piano, Chad Lefkowitz Brown on saxophone, Reggie Hamilton on bass guitar, Caroline Campbell on violin and Sy Smith, Veronica Swift and Jonathan Johnson on vocals.

The renovated Atatürk Cultural Center was reopened on Oct. 29. The new building boasts a world-class opera hall with over 2,000 seats, a theater hall, backstage rooms and fair areas.

The center also has meeting rooms, administrative offices, restaurants and art galleries.