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Christian Howes: Heartfelt
by Mark Corroto
There is always the fear that producing an authentic jazz album with orchestration is too ambitious a project and is doomed under the heaviness associated with such affairs. And that might have been the case here, except the sum of the parts, i.e., violinist Christian Howes and arrangers Kuno Schmid and Roger Kellaway, is certainly more than the instant concept.
For Howes' debut on Resonance Records, he is teamed with legendary pianist Roger Kellaway, the former music director ... Continue ReadingOn a String and a Prayer
by AAJ Staff
By Christian Howes From a string player's point of view, gaining acceptance within the jazz community is a little like showing up for the first day at a new school with a big stain on your shirt. If you've ever walked into a jam session with a violin slung over your shoulder, you'd know that obtaining an invitation to the stage isn't easy. But this is changing as more orchestral string players find their way into creative ...
Continue ReadingChristian Howes & Billy Contreras: Jazz Fiddle Revolution
by Victor Verney
Christian Howes has often been referred to as the “Jimi Hendrix of jazz violin," notes Los Angeles Times critic Don Heckman. He and others, like AAJ's C. Michael Bailey, have taken exception to this title, pointing to the depth and range of Howes' artistry. While Heckman insists that Howes is a jazz player first and foremost with “an expansive improvisational imagination," Bailey is a bit blunter. “My ass!" he exclaims, in a review of Jazz on Sale (Khaeon World Music, ...
Continue ReadingChristian Howes: Jazz on Sale
by C. Michael Bailey
“Jimi Hendrix of the violin," my ass! It is sad that we are saddled with such tired metaphors. Christian Howes is considerable more talented than such a moniker would suggest. Lee Brown referred to Howes as a “Jazz Paganini." Now that is more like it. Classically trained since the age of five and performing Mendelssohn’s D Minor Violin Concerto at sixteen, Howes more than earned his stripes in the woodshed. As a jazz violinist today, he has no peer. Another ...
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