Art Themen and Pete Whittaker
“I am delighted to be here tonight’ declared Art Themen “ But at my age I am delighted to be anywhere” He is certainly an artist of experience – The Worshipful Company of Musicians in recent awards shortlisted him for Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year. Famed for his groundbreaking work in orthopaedics he introduced prosthetic knee replacements and pioneered spinal surgery at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. A real Renaissance Man .
In his sixty year long career the affable, humorous (such a shame the Chapel mike was down as he is so funny) and all round great guy just happens to command the saxophone as if it was part of his own body. And there is the soprano sax too, His style is super smooth and even in the austere setting of St Catharine’s College – Art’s old College, I asked him how it was to be back there “I do not want to come to events here, dinners and that kind of thing, I will leave them some money anyway. As I will my old grammar school in Manchester.” And added “I have had a very lucky life”. I had to add” “and made the most of it. On reflection that is so true. How hard must it have been to get into Cambridge back then without the Etonian background and money to back that up?
Art has been on the scene for a while. He played with Joe Cocker (a favourite of mine from Sheffield) Jack Bruce, and going back - Bing Crosby. He and his highly sensitive and accomplished pianist accompanist Pete Whittaker, in the austere and frankly gloomy wooden clad formality of the College Chapel , brought the light and joy of jazz with some delightful great songs “Skylark’ a Sonny Rollins favourite and mine, and they made a great job of a Keith Jarrett number, As Pete remarked to me afterwards “Jarrett is usually so complicated and demanding and truth to say, their version was clear the sunny uplands of this complex composer.
Live in Soho is their new album. Much more the Art Themen element. But if you closed your eyes and blanked out the Protestant stern surroundings and the picture over the altar of poor St Catharine as she clutches a martyr’s palm and strokes her wheel, an instrument of torture it’s best not to think too much about, then you could be back in Soho with these two talented guys putting out the kind of vibe that makes the world - not the wheel - go round.
