Christian Howes & Southern Exposure Quintet

Christian Howes wants you to know that Southern Exposure is not simply another violin and accordion record, or some light-hearted evocation of Parisian café music.

"It's deeper than that," Howes, the 42-year-old violinist who is also an educator and online entrepreneur, says of his 13th album.

Not that there's anything wrong with what Howes identifies as salon fare, but it wouldn't reflect the hearty -- sometimes fierce -- bite with which he and his ensemble here tear into original material and classics from an extended Hispanic sphere of influence. The compositions and improvisations throughout Southern Exposure derive from, are influenced by and/or refer to a swath of the world that comprises not just Spain and Portugal, but Mediterranean France and Italy, North Africa, the Caribbean islands, Central and South America, as well as penetration into more northern climes. Argentine tango nuevo a la Astor Piazzolla, Brazilian bossas and choros, Afro-Cuban jazz, driving post-bop and fusion rear up in the 11 pieces on this album. So do Celtic and Appalachian fiddle figures, romantic serenades and contemporary classical rigor.

You can expect to hear many pieces from the Resonance Records release, Southern Exposure, as well as other surprises this evening. We hope you enjoy the concert!