Ma Belle Hélène is a jazz composition by the Canadian trumpeter and composer Kenny Wheeler (1930-2014), who was based in the United Kingdom. The tune is instrumental. Its title is a pun on the names of Wheeler's two sisters, Mabel and Helen.
It was recorded by the Kenny Wheeler Quintet, with Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn, John Abercrombie on guitar, John Taylor on piano, Dave Holland on bass and Peter Erskine on drums. The sessions took place from 14 to 16 February 1990 at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, and the performance appeared on the album The Widow in the Window, released by ECM later in 1990 (ECM 1417), where it is the second track, running 8:45. Manfred Eicher produced the album, and all of its tracks are by Wheeler. Critics gave the album four stars in both AllMusic and The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings.
