Mark Hewins

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mark Hewins (born 24 March 1955) is a UK jazz guitarist known particularly for his connections to the Canterbury scene.

Hewins' professional career as a guitarist began in 1970 with the London band Mother Sun. Early work included on the Dance Orchestra's A Luta Continua (along side Phil Collins, John Martyn and Danny Thompson).

Hewins has worked extensively with various Canterbury scene musicians, including multiple projects with Elton Dean. He played on Dave Sinclair's Moon Over Man album and with him in The Polite Force (1976-8, Canterbury Knights album). He was in Going Going (1990) and Caravan of Dreams (1991) with Richard Sinclair. Hewins played in later incarnations of Soft Heap (with Dean, Pip Pyle and John Greaves) and can be heard on A Veritable Centaur. He was a member of Gong in 1999. Hewins has also worked extensively with Hugh Hopper, including in Dark Horse and Mashu (1995-8). Hewins also worked with Mashu percussionist Shyamal Maïtra on other projects, including a duo and a trio with Carol Grimes.

He has collaborated with Dennis Gonzalez and Andrew Cyrille in the US and, in Europe, with Django Bates in Research. Hewins' first solo album was The Electric Guitar (1987). He was Lou Reed's guitar tech on several tours.

Other projects include his big band project FF, his dance band Tritonik (with Tania Evans, who went on to Cultre Beat), and the Music Doctors (with Dean and Lol Coxhill). He has also played with Julie Felix, Bill Bruford, Fred Frith, Joe Lee Wilson, Dudu Pukwana, John Stevens, Mervyn Africa and Anthony Aiello. He has also written music for television adverts and films.

Most recently there have been albums with Dean (Bar Torque) and Theo Travis (Guerrilla Music). He also appears on the Elton Dean Quartet's Sea of Infinity (2004) and has been touring with Bob Geldof.