A child prodigy who lost his way and spent four years in prison, Christian Howes rebuilt his life to become one of the top violin virtuosos in America and has been a fixture on the jazz circuit since the mid-1990s.

Growing up in Columbus, Ohio his parents both had a love of music and enrolled him in the Suzuki method of musical education at five-years-old. It helped him win a scholarship to Ohio State University at the age of 16 but his lifestyle of gigging in local bars with rock bands and playing professionally with an orchestra spiralled out of control and just three years later he was convicted of drug offences. He ended up serving four years in a medium security prison where he spent his days playing in the church gospel band and studying philosophy before taking jobs playing in restaurants and hotels upon his release.

Setting his sights on conquering the niche world of jazz violin, his debut album 'Confluence' in 1997 was a mix of jazz, R&B and gospel styles and featured four tracks recorded with fellow inmates whilst he was incarcerated. Taking a business approach to his career, he grafted and hustled his way from playing at fairs to arranging and producing records to composing advertising music and ended up playing with the Latin group Southern Exposure, with classical orchestras, with pianist Bobby Floyd and with guitar legend Les Paul for over a decade.

Signed to Resonance Records, his solo albums 'Heartfelt' in 2008 and 'Out of the Blue' in 2010 further showcased his talent and ability to meld styles and he represented the US State Department as cultural ambassador on trips to Serbia and Montenegro. He also taught as an associate professor at the Berklee College of Music and founded the Creative Strings Festival in Ohio, before returning in 2015 with 'American Spirit', an album that sought to contextualise national identity and the country's inherent pride and dreams.

Christian Howes

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