Howes Now Jazz violinist Christian Howes fuses original and traditional sounds in his latest record "Heartfelt"
by Rory Williams
Jazz violinist Christian Howes is hoping to attract a new demographic with his album Heartfelt (Resonance Records).
"Your mom, my mom could listen to a record like this," says Howes, who is known for his fiery technique. "Where a lot of my other records, they probably wouldn't want to hear."
For his tenth album, Howes teamed with Resonance president and producer George Klabin and award-winning pianist, composer, and arranger Roger Kettaway, who has worked with jazz violin greats Stéphane Grappelli, Joe Venuti, and Jean-Luc Ponty, among others. Though the album has a straight-ahead approach, Howes still manages to show off his chops on such tracks as the Bennie Goodman tune "Opus Half."
"[This record] frames me in a more mainstream jazz way that still captures, hopefully, the passion and the originality of my voice as an artist and player, set against a pretty traditional backdrop that most people can enjoy even if they're not jazz enthusiasts," Howes says. "In the last few years, I've been more open to my classical roots and other elements, like rock. This record captures more of that rich violinistic sound. Think of Grappelli, Regina Carter-the kind of people in the mainstream of jazz. People didn't normally associate me with those players because I was into other things on the fringe. This sets me in a more comparable light."
