John Helliwell - Saxophonist

The very latest news

SBTB Manchester Jazz festival cancelled

I am very sorry to announce that the concert by the band on Saturday May 24 has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. We will reschedule as soon as possible.

Super big tramp band new album

John Helliwell’s Super Big Tramp Band's new album - released digitally on April 11th 2025.
The CD and LP will be available on May 23rd, 2025...

An 18 piece big band playing the music of Supertramp instrumentally!

Summer rain

I have a tune with Mathis Richter-Reichhelm released! Have a look/listen...

Don't Ever Leave Me

I have been recording for a new album out in November, last year — "Don't Ever Leave Me" with three great Dutch jazzmen — Jasper Somsen on bass, Marcel Serierse on drums, and Hans Vroomans on piano. 15 tunes - 18 tracks - we liked one so much that we played it four times!

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...

Upcoming Concerts

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.

John Helliwell’s Super Big Tramp Band's new album - released digitally on April 11th 2025
The CD and LP will be available in May 2025.

Upcoming concerts: The Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. May 24th 2025 CANCELLED
[ RNCM | Manchester Jazz Festival]

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!"