Evan Parker, and the "sheets of sound" John Coltrane. Themen was interviewed by Julian Joseph on BBC Radio 3's Jazz Line-Up on 22 November 2014 as a celebration of the saxophonist's 75th birthday. He revealed that he had originally played clarinet, but since page three of the tutor book was missing he had played for some time with the mouthpiece upside-down. He was inspired to play saxophone after he attended a gig by the Dankworth Seven, at the local Palais, at the age of 16, with a female cousin. The immaculately-dressed and manicured saxophonist Danny Moss winked at Themen's cousin and the instant effect this had convinced Themen that his future lay in the saxophone. Following his retirement as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Themen has been focusing on his jazz career. Discography 1975: Captain Adventure - Stan Tracey Quartet 1976: Under Milk Wood - Stan Tracey Quartet 1976: The Bracknell Connection - Stan Tracey Octet 1979: Expressly Ellington - Al Haig, Jamil Nasser and Art Themen 1980: South East Assignment - Stan Tracey Quartet 1981: The Crompton Suite - Stan Tracey Sextet 1982: Bebop "Live" – Al Haig, Peter King and Art Themen 1984: The Poets' Suite - Stan Tracey Quartet 1985: Now - Stan Tracey 1985: Live At Ronnie Scott's - Stan Tracey Hexad 1987: Genesis - Stan Tracey Orchestra 2008: The 3 Tenors at the Appleby Jazz Festival – Art Themen, Mornington Lockett and Don Weller (featuring Mark Edwards, Andrew Cleyndert and Spike Wells) 2019: Thane & The Villeins - Pete Whittaker, Art Themen, George Double. With Graham Collier New Conditions (Mosaic, 1976) Symphony of Scorpions (Mosaic, 1977) The Day of the Dead (Mosaic, 1978) Hoarded Dreams (Cuneiform, 1983 [2007]) References External links Art Themen at BBC Music Jack Kenny, "Art Themen at 80", Jazz Views, February 2020. 1939 births Living people Alumni of the University of Cambridge English jazz alto saxophonists British surgeons Musicians from Manchester British male saxophonists 20th-century saxophonists 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century British male musicians British male jazz musicians Alumni of St Mary's Hospital Medical School People educated at Manchester Grammar School