The very latest news

Podcast

Listen to the podcast recorded with Robert Miller’s “Follow Your Dream"

Don't Ever Leave Me

I have been recording. I have a new album out in November — "Don't Ever Leave Me" with three great Dutch jazzmen — Jasper Somsen on bass, Marcel Serierse on drums, and Hans Vroomans on piano. There will be a vinyl version too - coming soon. 15 tunes - 18 tracks - we liked one so much that we played it four times! Also three tunes familiar to 70s sophistorockfans...

Ever Open Door

I have signed with Challenge Records, who just released my new album on october 2nd 2020. It is called EVER OPEN DOOR. It’s an album of ballads performed by me, on tenor saxophone and clarinet, The Singh String Quartet, and John Ellis on Hammond organ...

SBTB

Have a different listen to some of the Supertramp repertoire, with the big band "Super Big Tramp Band" touring soon.



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Biography

Everybody knows about the famous frontman playing saxophones and telling jokes at the Supertramp concerts... But who is John, the real John ?

John Anthony Helliwell was born into a musical family in the Yorkshire town of Todmorden on the 15 th February 1945 just 4 months after another musically famous Todmordarian, Keith Emerson, of Emerson, Lake and Palmer fame.

Exposure to music in the Helliwell home was virtually instantaneous. Family members were involved in every type of music from church to local Gilbert and Sullivan productions. John’s parents duly ensured that their young lad received the usual childhood piano and recorder lessons but none of these musical stimuli proved very inspirational to him and it was left to the jazz record collection of a family friend to prompt our small hero to start his quest for a clarinet...

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Upcoming Concerts

coming soon . . .


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Enjoy a new experience on Supertramp's tracks performed by a big band: The Super Big Tramp Band! The line-up is the usual jazz big band instrumentation - trumpets, trombones, saxophones and rhythm section. We play versions of Supertramp tunes, arranged by members of the band, with me as the chief soloist. No vocals.

Here's a quote from David Porter from the Hull Jazz Festival show last month: "A sell-out triumph, full-bodied and exciting, funny and touching. It will suit larger festivals and concert halls. It's quality, it's class & it's commercial. Seldom have tickets flown off the shelf so quickly. 2 shows next time, please!"

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Audio excerpts

Some solos while playing with various artists along the years :


Wise words - (Crème anglaise)

Girl talk - (Crème anglaise)

Long is the road - (J.J. Goldman)

Terminal frost - (Pink Floyd)

Melani - (Asfalto)

Heart - (Diana Ross)


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Contact

The most logical way to contact John is by email:



You can also visit his Facebook page Facebook and YouTube channel Youtube

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