Frank Hewitt

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Frank Hewitt (* 23. October 1935 in Queens , † 5. September 2002 in New York City ) was an American jazz pianist of hard bop .

Live and act

Hewitt spent most of his life in the Harlem neighborhood of New York . His mother was a church pianist, which means that his musical beginnings were in classical and gospel music . Under the influence of Charlie Parker's music , he turned to jazz ; Pianists Thelonious Monk , Bud Powell and Elmo Hope were role models for his piano playing . In the 1950s and 60s he worked a. a. with Charles Davis , Howard McGhee , Cecil Payne , John Coltrane , Dinah Washington, and Billie Holiday ; In 1961 he took part in the performance of the Living Theater production of Jack Gelber's play The Connection and then belonged to the circle of musicians around Barry Harris . In the 1990s he became known for his appearances at the Smalls jazz club , which were only released posthumously on records. He mostly played in a trio with Ari Roland (bass) and Jimmy Lovelace (drums), occasionally adding the saxophonists Chris Byars and Jim Mullins to a quintet .

During his lifetime he was only able to publish one piece, a cover version of the Kenny Dorham composition "Prince Albert", included on the compilation Jazz Underground: Live at Smalls , which was released in 1998 on Impulse . After his death, the live recordings from the 1990s were released on Smalls Records, the trio recordings We Loved You , Not Afraid to Live , Fresh from the Cooler and Out of the Clear Black Sky as well as a session with a quintet ( Four Hundred Saturdays ).

The pianist Frank Hewitt is not to be confused with the Irish rugby player of the same name (* 1906) and the Irish athlete Frank "Skurry" Hewitt (1845–1926).

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personal data
SURNAME Hewitt, Frank
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American musician
DATE OF BIRTH October 23, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH Queens
DATE OF DEATH September 5, 2002
Place of death New York City