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Noank
pianist and composer Kent Hewitt has released a CD of his
original compositions called “Little Town by the Sea:
Soundscapes,” a tribute to the village of Noank. Consisting
of Hewitt’s original compositions, the album includes jazz,
classical and contemporary settings.
“This
project is very close to my heart,” says Hewitt, who grew up
in the Groton Heights section of Groton, overlooking Thames
Street and the Thames River. His family lived in a sea
captain’s style home with a widow’s walk built by his
great-grandfather, Col. Hubbard Morgan. Hewitt’s ancestors
owned the Groton Grain and Coal Co. and Edgecombe and
Poppe’s General Store, an institution for many years on
Thames Street. Hewitt’s father’s fourth grade teacher was
Mary Virginia Goodman, “the duchess of Noank.”
“I
have a special affinity for river life and activity, finding
it a source of inspiration
for my music,” says Hewitt. “I have written original music
depicting significant scenes in this quaint maritime
village.” He says he hopes the CD will inspire listeners to
appreciate and help to preserve the cultural, historical and
ecological integrity of Noank (“point of land” in the
Native American language). “The preservation of historical
buildings is an important issue for me as well as the
ecological issues of maintaining clean water in the
surrounding environment,” he says. “In addition, my
purpose through the universal language of music is to bring
people together as a community and connect them in a common
bond in this mission of their town’s preservation and the
appreciation of its natural beauty.”
Hewitt
earned a degree in business administration from Boston
University and a music degree in theory and composition from
the University of Connecticut. He also holds a science degree
in nutripathy and has had a practice in holistic health
counseling and natural healing. He has studied piano and
theory with Ray Santisi, Charlie Mariano, Hal Galper, Fred
Hersch and Ron Brown. Additionally, he has led music clinics
for the Hartford Jazz Society and taught at Berklee College of
Music, Trinity College, The Hartford Conservatory and The
Music School of Providence.
He
has collaborated with Noank writer Melanie Greenhouse and
composed music for her theatrical productions “Point of
Land” and “The Duchess of Noank.” He has also
collaborated with Connecticut poet laureate Marilyn Nelson,
releasing a CD titled “Poetry and Music” and performing at
the “Sunken Gardens” poetry festival. A mainstay of jazz
and popular piano in Connecticut for many years, Hewitt has
been musical director for numerous Connecticut jazz clubs.
He
recorded TV jingles for Don Elliott Productions and also
recorded with Michael Mussilami, Randy Brecker, Ray Drummond,
Claudio Roditi, Ralph Moore, Thomas Chapin, Janet Marlow and
Phyllis Hyman, and he has performed in concerts with jazz
notables Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Kenny Burrell, Jackie
McLean, Steve Rossi and Jon Hendricks. Hewitt was the first
pianist to open at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City. He
has been solo house pianist at the New York jazz club Jimmy
Ryan’s and has toured Europe with trumpeter Laco Deczi. He
currently leads his own trio.
Sponsored
by the Noank Historical Society and the Groton Tercentennial
Committee, the “Little Town by the Sea” CD features eight
Connecticut musicians. The CD is available by e-mailing
khewitt@snet.net. |
