Bio
About Christian Howes
38 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 constantly, 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”.
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 7th annual camp, and once again we will overwhelm central Ohio with over 25 concerts in various venues throughout the week.”
For more information on Christian Howes please visit:
“It used to be you could hardly find a good jazz violinist. Nowadays there are four for five really good players, but there is nobody better than this guy.” – Les Paul
“Not since Jean-Luc Ponty has a violinist ranged from pure classical jazz to fuzz tone rock to convincing jazz with such authority.” – Chicago Reader
“…Arguably the most intriguing young violinist in jazz…” – The Minneapolis Tribune
“…As a jazz violinist he has no peer…” – All About Jazz
“I have had the pleasure of having Mr. Howes perform twice at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival. His incredible energy and unparalleled virtuosity gave the group a singular edge. Christian is also a superior composer and arranger, as well as a brilliant violinist. He is without doubt one of the finest artists in Modern Contemporary jazz.”
- Jacques Emond, Programming Director, Ottawa International Jazz Festival
“Violinist Christian Howes is one of the most exceptional artists on his instrument in contemporary music. The jazz world is blessed with a number of fast-emerging artists who bear the stamp of true creativity. Christian Howes is certainly among that number. I highly recommend his artistry and his artistic enterprise.”
- Willard Jenkins, Artistic Director, Tri-C Jazz Festival
“I first heard Christian Howes in a crowded room with lots of noise, but what he was saying on that fiddle would have cut through anything. Chris is the real deal. He’s playing as much as anybody has ever played on jazz violin. I can’t wait to hear what he’ll play next.
- Darol Anger, violinist and founder of the Turtle Island String Quartet
“I don’t know of any other violinist who has so many qualities as a violinist as Christian has, both in terms of a really astonishing technical facility and true musicianship. He has both a classical sensibility and a true jazz sensibility. It’s really an incredible package. And, I’ve never encountered any jazz musician who can do what he did in terms of reading my tunes. We just raced through all of the tunes and he sight-read them one time through – and some of them are extremely difficult. He also has a tremendous technical facility that I’ve never encountered before from any instrumentalist. Obviously with the things that he’s been through, like his prison experience, his classical experience and the jazz stuff, it’s all really had a profound influence on his music. I saw that, even at such a young age, he had already lived such a great deal, and that really comes out in his music.”
- D.D. Jackson, Internationally Acclaimed Jazz Pianist
“Christian Howes is the incredible hulk of the jazz violin.”
-Matt Glaser, violinist and Chair of the Berklee School of Music Strings Department
