When his entire family was noisily arguing in their small house in Mauritius, little Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick grabbed a box and began relentlessly tapping percussive rhythms with his hands. His family stopped, the argument subsided and they surrounded the young boy to see what he was doing.

"I remember my uncle and aunty listening to me with big smiles on their faces. I knew then I could use music to at least divert people from their problems, even if I couldn't actually solve them," Bluey said.

Best known for starting UK band Incognito, producer, guitarist and modern philosopher Bluey performed in Jakarta last week at the Java Jazz Festival. Incognito closed the festival with the same soul and energy it demonstrated in 1986, the year of its conception. Incognito has played at the festival every year since its inauguration in 2005 and Bluey is always keen to return.

"Jakarta's the kind of place where if you build relationships, they last. My relationship with Java Jazz, with musicians and friends in the music community here, also in Bali and Bandung, are quite strong. Bali is definitely my scene. I've been trying to convince my wife to move there. She's not 100 percent sure, but I'm 100 percent plus."

Bluey has a number of ties to Indonesia. He is currently producing the work of Bandung singer Dira, who joined Incognito last week on stage.

"I listened to her demo tape when she was just a kid. I felt there was something there, so I nourished that relationship. Dira is someone I encouraged, and then she went out and did her own thing -- which is great," Bluey said.

In producing the songs of the Bandung diva, Bluey hopes to support the local music industry.

"Dira could have an international presence. I want to give her a platform so other Indonesians can see it's possible. If she has international status, more people will put on gigs and hopefully Indonesia will see more music venues opening."

There is something irresistible about this country for Bluey. Despite having worked with musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and George Benson, and having huge international success, the highlight of his career was his Hope Collective project, a response to the 2006 tsunami. He collaborated with the likes of Chaka Khan and Jocelyn Brown.

"That project made my music purposeful and I learned a lot doing it. I lost a lot of money and I had to put my mortgage payments back three months, but I now know I want to run my business in a way that I can earn and be charitable. A charitable heart has a place in business and can make it stronger."

Though he was raised as a Christian, Bluey dislikes the divisiveness of organized religion.

"I find the human spirit is a beautiful thing when nurtured with love, so I try to live my life and use my music in a way to maximize that human ability to love. I feel that human spirit existing, particularly in Bali. Sometimes I find that harder in Jakarta. Jakartans often become numb to the poverty. They just have to function with it and get from A to B. I find myself doing that too when I'm here."

Bluey's philosophical side comes from troubling experiences. He had a hard time in his childhood adapting from Mauritius to the UK.

"I've been hospitalized from racist attacks in London. The late 60s and early 70s was a very difficult time with skinheads everywhere. I've had cracked ribs, fractured elbows and knife wounds to the side of my body."

Finding it difficult to switch from French to English, he was taunted by his teachers, who told him he was useless and would never become anything.

"But then I had one art teacher who said I'd probably be the only one at that school to make a statement to the world. She told me my music was powerful and that I would see the countries I dreamed about. It was all I needed to even out that hurt. It's the same with the skinheads. I've had five kids kicking me with metal toecaps but I always had that level of love to overpower everything else."

Overcoming hardship has pushed Bluey to be the centered 51-year-old he is today. He considers himself a healer rather than an entertainer; something he knew he was the day he started tapping that box.

"Through my pain I always turned to music. Stevie Wonder has seen me through some dark patches. Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye brought healing to my tortured soul. That's what I understand music to be."

Performing on the main stage of the Java Jazz Festival, thousands of fans packed into the auditorium to see the healer and his band. So many fans belted out lyrics after lyrics of Incognito's hits and it felt as if there was no outside world that hour. The little boy from Mauritius now has the world singing his sentiments with him.

"In Mauritius, I always wanted to know where the ships and airplanes went to. I spent most of my time planning how I was going to get to Russia and Japan, and when I was going to see the Borobodurs of the world. I didn't spend much time practicing my scales."

The man who was told he wouldn't amount to anything now uses two passports a year touring the world with his music.

"I haven't even made a dent on the world. To see the world is my dream. That's what I want to do."

His new album, Tales from the Beach, was inspired by the beaches of Bali and is out in April.

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