Mark Hewins is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 known particularly for his connections to the Canterbury scene

Canterbury Scene

The Canterbury scene is a term used to loosely describe the group of progressive rock, avant-garde and jazz musicians, many of whom were based around the city of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s...

.

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 (alongside Phil Collins

Phil Collins

Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....

, John Martyn and Danny Thompson

Danny Thompson

Daniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...

).

Hewins has worked extensively with various Canterbury scene musicians, including multiple projects with Elton Dean

Elton Dean

Elton Dean was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello and occasionally keyboard....

. He played on Dave Sinclair

Dave Sinclair

David Sinclair , is a keyboardist who has been part of the progressive rock Canterbury Scene...

's Moon Over Man album and with him in The Polite Force

The Polite Force (band)

The Polite Force was a British progressive rock / jazz fusion musical group, active from 1976 to 1978 in the Canterbury scene.The band was formed by Mark Hewins , Max Metto , Graham Flight and Vince Clarke after about two years of recording sessions for an album by long time Caravan keyboardist...

 (1976-8, Canterbury Knights album). He was in Going Going (1990) and Caravan of Dreams

Caravan of Dreams (band)

Caravan of Dreams were a British progressive rock band from the Canterbury scene. Led by Richard Sinclair, it evolved from the short-lived Going Going.-Going Going:...

 (1991) with Richard Sinclair

Richard Sinclair

Richard S. Sinclair is a progressive rock bassist, guitarist and vocalist who has been a member of several bands of the Canterbury scene.-Biography:...

. Hewins played in later incarnations of Soft Heap

Soft Heap (band)

Soft Heap was a Canterbury scene supergroup founded in January 1978. The name references Soft Machine while "Heap" comes from the first letters of the band's founders: Hugh Hopper , Elton Dean , Alan Gowen and Pip Pyle . Hopper and Dean had worked together in Soft Machine, while Gowen and Pyle had...

 (with Dean, Pip Pyle

Pip Pyle

Phillip "Pip" Pyle was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France...

 and John Greaves

John Greaves (musician)

John Greaves is a British bass guitarist and composer, best known as a member of Henry Cow and his collaborative albums with Peter Blegvad...

) and can be heard on A Veritable Centaur. He was a member of Gong

Gong (band)

Gong is a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Their music has also been described as space rock. Other notable band members include Allan Holdsworth, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Francis Moze, Mike Howlett...

 in 1999. Hewins has also worked extensively with Hugh Hopper

Hugh Hopper

Hugh Colin Hopper was a progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and various other related bands.-Early career:...

, including in Dark Horse and Mashu

Mashu (band)

Mashu was a Canterbury scene improvisational supergroup that lasted from 1995 to 1998. The name is a reference to Mashu and a play on the three band members' names: Hugh Hopper , Mark Hewins and Shyamal Maïtra .Hopper and Hewins had alreay been collaborating as a duo when they were joined by...

 (1995-8). Hewins also worked with Mashu percussionist Shyamal Maïtra on other projects, including a duo and a trio with Carol Grimes

Carol Grimes

Carol Grimes is a smooth jazz and world music singer.Grimes came to prominence in 1969 as a member of Delivery, associated with the Canterbury Scene. During the 1970s she performed regularly on the London blues circuit with her band The London Boogie Band...

.

He has collaborated with Dennis Gonzalez

Dennis González

Dennis González is a jazz musician, poet, visual artist and music educator based in Dallas, Texas....

 and Andrew Cyrille

Andrew Cyrille

Andrew Charles Cyrille is an avant-garde jazz drummer.Cyrille was born in Brooklyn, New York into a family with a mother from Haiti. He began studying science at St...

 in the US and, in Europe, with Django Bates

Django Bates

Django Bates , is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader. He plays the piano, keyboards and the tenor horn. He currently lives in Copenhagen where he is a professor at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory and leader of the StoRMChaser orchestra.-Career:Django Bates was born in Beckenham,...

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

Lou Reed

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...

's guitar tech on several tours.

Other projects include his big band project FF, his dance band Tritonik (with Tania Evans

Tania Evans

Tania Evans is a singer best known for her time being co-lead singer of German eurodance group Culture Beat.-Career:...

, who went on to Culture Beat

Culture Beat

Culture Beat is a German Eurodance project formed in 1989 by Torsten Fenslau. The act has gone through a number of line-up changes over the years; they achieved the most success whilst fronted by singer Tania Evans and rapper Jay Supreme. Their 1993 single "Mr. Vain" was a No...

), and the Music Doctors (with Dean and Lol Coxhill

Lol Coxhill

Lowen Coxhill, generally known as Lol Coxhill is a free improvising saxophonist and raconteur...

). He has also played with Julie Felix

Julie Felix

Julie Ann Felix is a folk rock recording artist, who was notably produced by Mickie Most on his RAK Records label.-Career:...

, Bill Bruford

Bill Bruford

William Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...

, Fred Frith

Fred Frith

Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...

, Joe Lee Wilson

Joe Lee Wilson

Joe Lee Wilson was an American gospel-influenced jazz singer, originally from Bristow, Oklahoma. His voice is best recognized from several Archie Shepp albums recorded for Impulse! Records.-Biography:...

, Dudu Pukwana

Dudu Pukwana

Mtutuzel Dudu Pukwana was a South African saxophonist, composer and pianist .-Early years in South Africa:...

, John Stevens

John Stevens (drummer)

John William Stevens was an English drummer. He was one of the most significant figures in early free improvisation, and a founding member of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble .-Biography:Stevens was born in Brentford, the son of a tap dancer...

, Mervyn Africa and Anthony Aiello

Anthony Aiello

Anthony Aiello is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Oklahoma City Barons in the American Hockey League . He was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the 5th round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.-External links:...

. He has also written music for television adverts and films.

Most recently there have been albums with Dean (Bar Torque) and Theo Travis

Theo Travis

Theo Travis is a British saxophonist and flautist.Travis received his degree in flute and saxophone from the University of Manchester and has worked among others with Robert Fripp, Gong, Porcupine Tree, The Tangent, Bill Nelson, Bass Communion, No-Man, Steven Wilson, David Sylvian, Harold Budd,...

 (Guerrilla Music). He also appears on the Elton Dean Quartet's Sea of Infinity (2004) and has been touring playing guitar with Bob Geldof

Bob Geldof

Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...

.