La Charanga Tres (w/ special guest, Christian Howes) Sizzlin' 6-piece group from Columbus, OH celebrates the music of Cuba during the 1920's through 1960's, fronted by woodwind master, Kris Keith, featuring special guest violinist, Christian Howes!

La Charanga Tres, a 6 piece group celebrating the music of Cuba during the 1920’s to the 1960’s, was formed in 2001 by musical director, arranger, and flutist, Kris Keith, to bring the elegant sound of Cuba’s heritage music to life in Columbus, Ohio.
 
La Charanga Tres has performed at various venues and events around central Ohio including: Dick’s Den, 501 Jazz Bar, Rumba Cafe, Short North Sunday Jazz Series, Groveport Heritage Park, St. John’s Italian Festival, The Ohio State University, and Festival Latino (with guest violinist Tregar Otton from Orquesta, La Moderna Tradicion).
 
For their BLU Jazz+ debut, La Charanga Tres will be joined by violinist extraordinaire, Christian Howes. Howes, also a native of Columbus, OH, was ranked as the #1 “Rising Star” violinist in the Downbeat Critics Poll in 2011 and nominated for the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Violinist Of The Year.” In 2012, he was voted among the top three violinists in JazzTimes’ “Expanded Critics Poll.” Howes was also a favorite of the late guitarist, Les Paul, with whom he worked closely for 11 years.
 
This will be a very special “don’t miss” evening filled with authentic, danceable Cuban-influenced music by La Charanga Tres – get your tickets today! Featuring Kris Keith (flute/sax), Christian Howes (violin), Leo Morales (tiple/guitar), Mark Rubinstein (piano/accordion), Roger Hines (acoustic bass), Joe Krygier (percussion).
 

About Kris Keith

For nearly two decades, Kris Keith has made a name for himself in the local Columbus, Ohio music scene. His reputation for being a strong woodwind doubler and his ability to perform musical styles from jazz to classical, from Cuban to Brazilian, from rock to funk, has kept him in high demand as a sideman and session player.
 
After serving three years in the U.S. Army, 283rd Army Band, Ft. Benning, Georgia, Kris received his B.M. from the Ohio State University in 1994. While attending the Ohio State University, Kris studied flute with Katherine Borst Jones and Randy Hestor, jazz improvisation with Gene Walker, Gary Carney, and Hank Marr; performed as a member of the 1991 All American College Orchestra, Epcot-Center, Florida; won the 1992 Central Ohio Flute Association Collegiate Division Competition; and received the Elmhurst Festival Jazz Solo award in 1994.
 
After graduation, Kris stayed in Columbus, touring and recording with local Columbus rock band, Mary Adam 12; performing and recording with several other Columbus based ensembles including: Paul Brown’s Science Gravy Orchestra, Honk-Wail-&-Moan, Brasileira, Madrugada, Yumbambe, and Sambateria to name just a few; forming groups to pursue his own original composing and to further study and perform music of Cuba and Brazil; teaching privately; and working as a substitute music teacher in the Columbus Public School system with an extended position in 1999 at the Fort Hayes School of Performing Arts.
 
Since 2000, Kris has been involved with Jazz For Kids, an artist-in-the-schools program designed by Kris and his colleagues to introduce jazz to K-3rd grade students. Jazz for Kids is currently celebrating it’s fifth year in an extended residency at the New Albany K-1 School and has performed throughout the Columbus Public School system and surrounding cities of Franklin County.
 
In 2008, Kris received a FCNA grant for his project “Music Can Heal: A Latin Orchestra and Dance Experience”, a project designed to benefit local senior citizens using the musicians from his Cuban Orchestra “La Charanga Tres”; and he was recognized as one of Columbus’ “Forty under 40” by Business First. Kris has taught jazz improvisation every summer since 2000 at the Ohio State University Summer Flute Workshop with Katherine Borst Jones; has been Adjunct Faculty in the Jazz Department at the Ohio State University since 2007 directing the Jazz Lab Ensemble and Latin Jazz Combo; is serving as the National Flute Association, Jazz Committee Chair (2010-2015); in Spring Quarter 2012, Kris graduated with his M.A. from the Ohio State University in Woodwind Pedagogy; and he continues to enjoy life with his wife Kate and their three animals (Ricki, Kofi, & Ellie) in Dublin, Ohio.
 
Some of the Columbus bands he performs with regularly include: Paradise Island Band, HooDoo Soul Band, The Columbus Jazz Orchestra, Mazel Tov Orchestra, Pit Orchestra work for 20+ Columbus Broadway Series performances at the Ohio Theater & Palace Theater. Kris also has extensive experience in the studio recording for television and radio at Circa Music.
 
His own projects include: La Charanga Tres, Trio Classique (flute, violin and cello, performing classical music), Minan-Dya (a jazz ensemble featuring Kris’ original compositions with a focus on american/latin jazz with a 2000 CD release), Magically Delicious (an experimental project with drums, bass, and woodwinds focusing on original compositions and arrangements with a 2006 CD release).
 

About Christian Howes

Christian Howes grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where he studied violin through the Suzuki method from the age of five, performed as a soloist with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra at age 16, and later earned his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the Ohio State University.
 
During his teen years he began playing guitar and bass in rock, blues, and fusion bands. At age 20, he began playing violin in gospel church settings. These experiences ultimately led him to pursue a singular goal to become a versatile jazz musician and composer.
 
Since then, he has gained respect from critics and players alike, establishing himself as a world class jazz violinist and educator. From 2001-2009 Howes became an in-demand violinist on the New York scene, collaborating with a bevy of top shelf jazz artists, including Greg Osby, D.D. Jackson, Frank Vignola, Joel Harrison, Dafnis Prieto, Dave Samuels, Spyro Gyra, and a 4-year chair in Bill Evans’ “Soulgrass” band.
 
Christian was a favorite of the late Les Paul, with whom he worked closely for 11 years. Following a three-year tenure as Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and after establishing his “street cred” in New York City, Christian returned to his hometown in order to be close to family and set out to build his career exclusively as a bandleader and entrepreneur.
 
In August 2011, Christian was ranked as the #1 “Rising Star” violinist in the Downbeat Critics Poll and nominated for the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Violinist Of The Year”. In 2012, he was voted among the top three violinists in JazzTimes’ “Expanded Critics Poll“. The same year, he received the Residency Partner Award from Chamber Music America for his educational outreach with school orchestra programs. He now regularly tours throughout Asia, Europe, and the U.S. as a leader of his own groups and a soloist with orchestras. Howes toured Ukraine in June 2014 at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy, as a cultural ambassador, underscoring U.S. support for a free and democratic Ukraine.
 
After releasing a string of independent releases as a leader, he signed with Resonance Records in 2008 and released three critically acclaimed albums. The first, “Heartfelt”, featuring pianist Roger Kellaway, showcases ballads and lyrical works. “Out of the Blue,” released in 2010, features guitarist Robben Ford, and demonstrates a wide range of modern and traditional sensibilities, steeped in the blues. His newest release, “Southern Exposure,” featuring accordionist Richard Galliano, draws from a Hispanic sphere of influence.
 
In 2001 he founded the Creative Strings Workshop and Festival, which convenes during the first week of July every year in Columbus, Ohio. 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.”
 
In 2011, Howes launched an online lessons website, the “Creative Strings Academy,” which boasts the largest enrollment worldwide of string players studying jazz and improvised music.
 
In 2014 Christian formalized his “Creative Strings” initiatives with the founding of Camille Catherine, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the expansion and improvement of music education, with a focus on the development of curriculum and programs for classically trained string players and teachers to expand their skills as creative musicians. Christian regularly visits school orchestra programs offering “Creative Strings Residencies”, combining collaborative performances with interactive clinics.
 
Since 2007, he has also built an innovative online production business, “Christian Howes String Recording,” which provides live string sections and more to music producers worldwide via a remote, collaborative “virtual” orchestra.
 
Christian is an active blogger, and he is frequently engaged to speak regarding music education and music business. He has worked with homeless, at-risk, and prison populations, as well as humanities departments at universities, incorporating diverse social causes into his broad, inspirational message.

$15