Art Themen

Born in Manchester in 1939, Art Themen educated himself as a musician before switching from clarinet to saxophone in the traditional jazz milieu of his city in the late 1950s. Later based in Cambridge and then London during his medical studies, he pursues a dual career as a musician and an orthopaedic surgeon, while playing with Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, Michael Garrick, Ian Carr, or Graham Collier. Art Themen is part of the British jazz scene with a tenor language anchored in hard bop, initially shaped by Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins, then expanded to influences such as Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane, or more free approaches. His trajectory is closely tied to Stan Tracey, whose groups he joined from 1974 and with whom he has toured extensively in the United Kingdom and internationally. Over the decades, Art Themen has also played with visiting American musicians such as Charlie Rouse, Nat Adderley, Red Rodney, George Coleman, and Al Haig. Among the records released under his name or in co-signature include The 3 Tenors at the Appleby Jazz Festival (2008), Thane & The Villeins (2019), Hanky Panky with Dave Barry Quartet (2022), Off Piste with Greg Foat (2023), Art’s Party (2023) and Live in Soho (2024).