37 year-old Christian Howes grew up in Columbus, Ohio and received a degree in Philosophy from the Ohio State University. After spending 8 years based in New York City and touring the world extensively, he has recently returned to Columbus to reclaim his roots.

 

As an educator, performer and composer, Christian Howes has gained great notoriety and respect from critics and players alike. Christian was a favorite of the late Les Paul, with whom he worked for 11 years. Says Christian of his mentor, ”Les defied categorization in terms of age or genre. His character, approach to life, and musicianship taught me many valuable lessons which I hope never to forget”.  In recent years, Howes has become an in-demand violinist on the New York scene, performing and recording with a bevy of jazz artists, including alto saxophonist Greg Osby, pianist D.D. Jackson, guitarists Les Paul , Frank Vignola, and Joel Harrison, drummer Dafnis Prieto, vibraphonist Dave Samuels’s Caribbean Jazz Project, crossover pioneers Spyro Gyra, and a 4-yr chair in Bill Evans Soulgrass. On his recent cd, Heartfelt, the violinist collaborates with pianist-arranger Roger Kellaway, a legendary figure in his own right.

 

In August, 2009, Christian was ranked (for the third time) as the #2 violinist in the Downbeat Critics Poll “Rising Stars”. Says All About Jazz ,”as a jazz violinist he has no peer”.  The Minneapolis Tribune called Christian ”arguably the most intriguing young violinist in jazz”. According to the Chicago Reader, “Not since Jean Luc Ponty has a violinist ranged from pure classical to fuzz-tone rock to convincing jazz with such authority”.

 

After releasing a string of potent CDs as a leader, a majority of which flew under the radar of most jazz critics, violinist Christian Howes is set to make a big splash with Heartfelt, his spectacular debut on Resonance Records which charted at 24 on the national jazz radio. Rather than exhibiting the charming delicacy of a Stephane Grappelli or the jaunty Swing era bounce of a Joe Venuti, Howes is a wildly inventive post-bop burner with monstrous facility, a wide expressive range and a take-no-prisoners approach. On Heartfelt, he parlays his Herculean chops, blistering intensity and haunting romanticism into a winning combination that is eminently accessible without sacrificing his obvious skills.

 

An Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music, he is also the founder of the Creative Strings Workshop and Festival, which convenes during the first week of July every year at Otterbein College. Says Howes, “The Creative Strings Workshop and Festival offers string players from Columbus and around the world an opportunity to study improvisation, composition, and styles outside the realm of classical music, while bringing the city of Columbus a plethora of talent and musical energy.  This July marks the 6th annual camp, and once again we will overwhelm central Ohio with over 25 concerts in various venues throughout the week.”

 

Christian performs every week in Columbus with his band, at Dick’s Den from 9pm to 1am.