Joseph Hellon now makes a comeback

Joseph Hellon can count on the fact that most people recognise his name, if not his face. The irony is that this fame is less for his sterling music than for the unsavoury public drama involving him and his associates for most of the last two years.

Before that disruption to his career, Hellon played smooth jazz to a select audience every last Thursday of the month at his Runda residence. His love for the saxophone goes back to the time he joined the Starehe Boys Centre band as a 10-year-old..

He made his debut with the album “Zamar” in 2005 followed by “Ekkaleo” released a year later. His last album in 2008 - an amalgam of jazz with the Kenyan music styles of benga, zouk and isikuti titled “Bizkuti.

Despite the sophistication of traditional jazz, Hellon thinks he has found the formula to make the music genre palatable to more Kenyans: “All I have done is adopt benga, which is authentic Kenyan music, by using my skills as a saxophonist “ he says.

Yet when his producer first suggested that he could infuse African music into jazz, Hellon was astonished.

“I strongly disagreed with this idea because I felt there was no benga in me.” However, his performances now include jazzy renditions of well-known Kenyan hits like “Msenangu” and the patriotic anthem “Kenya Nchi Yetu” and his fans love it.

He seemed to express genuine surprise at one of his recent shows when the audience sang along to these tunes: “I never thought you guys would remember these songs,” he remarked.

Monday is not your typical party night , but Hellon has been packing a decent crowd every week at the Secrets Lounge in the city centre. The idea of having a jazz night on a Monday was greeted with skepticism when it started at the beginning of the year.

“Many people said it was impossible to get a crowd on a Monday, more so in January which is usually a slow month after the New Year festivities.”

“Jazz and Clad” is a combination of music and fashion because, as Hellon says, Kenyans have a sense of class and are always looking for an opportunity to step out in style. This concept was the brainchild of musician and long-time friend, model and former Mr Kenya, Okello Odada.

The crowd votes for a colour scheme to mix and match their outfits for an entire month, with red and black having been the favourite in January.

It has not been easy establishing an audience for his gigs. “I was ready to play for waiters and tables every Monday, come rain or shine.”

Perfection
Michael Jackson famously told his musicians to play on a live show exactly the way fans heard the music on the album and these words have inspired Hellon who strives for perfection during his performances with his four-member band.

The former music director on the TV reality programme, Project Fame, who also runs his own music school, has turned his weekly performance into a training ground for his students: “My band consists of some of these young, talented musicians who benefit from the experience of playing before an audience.”

Jazz thrives on improvisation and Hellon’s saxophone will go from the famous Dave Brubeck standard of Take 5 to a rendition of Happy Birthday on the spur of the moment. He is comfortable with the flute, clarinet and trumpet but clearly loves his saxophone. “I have heard people joke that I play an instrument that is three quarters my size,” says the pint-sized performer.