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Spotty showersSupertramp's John Helliwell plays the Manchester Jazz Festival
Supertramp's John Helliwell plays the Manchester Jazz Festival
28/ 7/2006
FRESH from gigging and recording his new CD with his jazz
ensemble Crème Anglaise, saxophonist John Helliwell will play the
Manchester Jazz Festival today (Friday).
The Supertramp saxophonist says: "I got into jazz early in life,"
says John, "Stuff like Connonball Adderly, Sonny Rollins, John
Coltrane, Art Blakey and Tubby Hayes. These were the people who
excited me musically and I gigged with various groups around London
in the Sixties when the jazz scene was very much still
alive."
John finally found his niche in 1973, joining rock band Supertramp.
Throughout the Seventies and Eighties the band enjoyed the kind of
success bestowed on bands such as Pink Floyd, ELO and Queen but
with a more jazzy/bluesy twist, helped along by John's clever jazz
riffs in the sax solos.
He was also well known with Supertramp fans for his ability to
engage with an audience. "None of the others had the guts to do
it," he says. "I still love the rapport with the audience.
Amazingly though, back then we managed to keep our anonymity. We
could walk among the crowd before a gig and no one would recognise
us."
During a Supertramp hiatus in the Nineties and after living in LA
for almost 16 years, John moved back home to North Yorkshire to
study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
However, a scholarly life was to take a back seat in 1996 when he
worked with ex-Supertramp Roger Hodgson and recorded and toured
with Supertramp again.
The most recent album Slow Motion and the It's About Time tour were
a big success in 2002.
There may be more to come from Supertramp but John is happy with
Crème Anglaise, playing jazz, funk, blues, soul and rock with some
of his favourite musicians.
The group also includes Mark Hart (vocals, guitar and keyboards)
from Supertramp and Crowded House, internationally acclaimed jazz
guitarist Mike Walker and the rocking Geth Griffith on double bass
and bass guitar. Arthur Lea (piano) and Ben Bryant (drums), young
musicians completing their degrees at the Royal Academy of Music in
London, complete the line up.
Crème Anglaise will play the Manchester Jazz Festival in St Anne's
Square today (Friday) from 5pm. The festival itself continues until
tomorrow (Saturday). For programme information, visit
www.manchesterjazz.com.
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