Mark Hewins (born 24 March 1955) is an English guitarist known for his connections to the

Canterbury scene The Canterbury scene (or Canterbury sound) is a musical scene that originated in the city of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Associated with progressive rock, the term describes a loosely-defined, improvisation ...

, a group of English progressive rock musicians during the 1960s.

Biography

Hewins' professional career as a guitarist began in 1973 with the London band Mother Sun with Steve Tozer and lead singer Dave Bell. Early work included on the Dance Orchestra's ''A Luta Continua'' (alongside

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...

John Martyn Iain David McGeachy (11 September 1948 – 29 January 2009), known professionally as John Martyn, was a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a 40-year career, he released 23 studio albums and received frequent critical acclaim. ...

, and

Danny Thompson Daniel Henry Edward Thompson (born 4 April 1939) is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. He has had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians, particularly Richard Thompson and John Ma ...

). Hewins has worked extensively with various Canterbury scene musicians, including multiple projects with

Elton Dean Elton Dean (28 October 1945 – 8 February 2006) was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello (a variant of the soprano saxophone) and occasionally keyboards. Part of the Canterbury scene, he featured in Soft Mach ...

. 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 Phillip "Pip" Pyle (4 April 1950 – 28 August 2006) was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France. He is best known for his work in the Canterbury scene bands Gong, Hatfield and the North ...

and John Greaves) and can be heard on ''A Veritable Centaur''. He was a member of

Gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

in 1999. Hewins has also worked extensively with

Hugh Hopper Hugh Colin Hopper (29 April 1945 – 7 June 2009) was a British progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and other bands. Biography Early career Starting i ...

, 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 Andrew Charles Cyrille (born November 10, 1939) is an American avant-garde jazz drummer. Throughout his career, he has performed both as a leader and a sideman in the bands of Walt Dickerson and Cecil Taylor, among others. AllMusic biographer ...

in the U.S. and in Europe with

Django Bates Django Bates (born Leon Bates, 2 October 1960) is a British jazz musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, band leader and educator. He plays the piano, keyboards and the tenor horn. Bates has been described as "one of the most talented musici ...

in Research. Hewins' first solo album was ''The Electric Guitar'' (1987). He was

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

's guitar tech on several tours. He leads his big band FF, his dance band Tritonik (with Tania Evans, who went on to

Culture Beat Culture Beat is a German Eurodance project formed in 1989 by Torsten Fenslau. The act has gone through a number of lineup changes over the years; they achieved the most success whilst fronted by singer Tania Evans and rapper Jay Supreme. Their 1 ...

), and the Music Doctors (with Dean and Lol Coxhill). He has played with Julie Felix,

Bill Bruford William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972, Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording and tou ...

Fred Frith Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as a founding member of the English avant-rock group Henry ...

, Joe Lee Wilson,

Dudu Pukwana Mthutuzeli Dudu Pukwana (18 July 1938 – 30 June 1990) was a South African saxophonist and composer. Early years in South Africa Dudu Pukwana was born in Walmer, Port Elizabeth, Walmer Township, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He grew up studyin ...

, John Stevens, Mervyn Africa, and Anthony Aiello. He has also written music for film and television commercials.

Discography

Solo albums

* 1989: ''The Electric Guitar'' (Daagnim Records) * 1994: ''Provocative Thought - Live At The Vortex'' (Musart Services), with

* 1995: ''Adreamor'' (Impetus Records), with Hugh Hopper * 1999: ''Big Big Spaces: Transmissions From Intergalactic Space'' (Online Mp3 album) * 2001: ''Bar Torque'' (Moonjune Records), with

* 2002: ''Guerilla Music'' (Burning Shed Records), with

Theo Travis Theo Travis (born 7 July 1964) is a British saxophonist, flautist and composer. He is a member of Soft Machine which he joined in 2006 while the group was still using the "Legacy" suffix and was a member of Gong from 1999 to 2010. Biography Tra ...

Collaborations

; With Research * 1987: ''Social Systems'' (Dossier) * 2000: ''The Perpetual City'' (Impetus Records) ; With John Stevens Dance Orchestra * 1994: ''A Luta Continua'' (Konnex Records) ; With Soft Heap * 1995: ''A Veritable Centaur (Impetus Records) ; With Mashu * 1996: ''Elephants In Your Head?'' (Voiceprint) ; With Polite Force * 1996: ''Canterbury Knights'' (Voiceprint)

References

1955 births 20th-century British guitarists 21st-century British guitarists Canterbury scene English jazz guitarists English male guitarists Gong (band) members Living people 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century British male musicians British male jazz musicians Curfew (band) members {{UK-musician-stub