Buy this CD at:

Amazon

WalMart

Tower Records

Barnes & Noble

NOCHE de PASION
(2004)
215 Records

The spotlight rarely shone upon his face, and center stage is not the place he would normally call a second home.  His name is not readily recognized by those of us outside the recording industry, unless you, like me, read the fine print on album covers.  It is within the information about the supporting cast of a recording venture that his name would appear. Perhaps you saw it listed among the closing credits that swiftly scrolled pass our searching eyes as we strained to read the names of those who had written or co-written the musical backdrop to the spoken words of a television show or motion picture film. (Are you kidding? If you blinked you missed the whole thing.) With few exceptions, it has been in those spaces that the name, Alan Hewitt, was most frequently written, until now.

The Alan Hewitt Project, which some believe, is the breakthrough album of the year in contemporary instrumental music. His self-titled album, the Alan Hewitt Project was released to stores on April 27, 2004. - Courtesy Abyssjazz.com

Read the Press Release

From www.JazzUSA.com:

by Ray Redmond

Wow! This is a smoking smooth jazz CD. Hewitt opens absolutely JAMMING the title track and featuring Euge Groove's smooth sax... this is a good choice for first track on the CD. Steve Madaio stands in on trumpet and flugelhorn to accompany the Hewitt keyboards on the staccato laden Breathless. Love Feeds The Fire slows up the pace but turns up the heat with Michael Lington making his appearance. And it doesn't stop there... Jonathan Butler lends his guitar and scat vocals to the Butler-penned Sweet Thing, then alto diva Mindi Abair struts her stuff on the spanish-flavored U Touch Me.

Throughout this parade of stars Alan Hewitt rides and guides each track with his keyboard work, the glue that holds the tracks together, as the guest artists do their "guest" things. Vocalist Shea Chambers again slows it down a bit on the seductively smooth Inside My Dreams. The rest of the CD has appearances by John Defaria and Gerald Spikes who perform on two tracks apiece, most notably Blue Sky with it's wonderful guitar lines.

Noche De Pasion is a good change from these smooth jazz CD's we're seeing lately where they pile a heap of good artists together and expect a great album (usually NOT). Rather, this is a great smooth jazz release that's better for it's inclusion of so many cameo artists. Bravo Alan... 4 stars.