Art Themen
A distinguished orthopaedic surgeon who led a remarkable double life as a fiery, adaptable saxophonist on the British jazz scene.
Born 1939 (age 87)·British jazz saxophonist and surgeon·Birthday: November 26·The Silent Generation
Biography
Art Themen's life has been a masterful duet between science and art. By day, he built a respected career as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon in the NHS, specializing in trauma. By night, and on weekends, he was a formidable tenor and soprano saxophonist, his sound rooted in the robust traditions of Dexter Gordon but always evolving. He emerged from the Cambridge University jazz scene in the 1960s and never stopped playing, fitting gigs and tours around his surgical duties. Themen's playing is characterized by a warm, muscular tone and an intellectual curiosity that saw him absorb influences from free jazz to later fusion movements. His story is one of profound dedication to two demanding fields, proving that passion, when properly managed, needs not one outlet but can flourish in parallel, enriching both.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Art was born in 1939, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Art Was Born
The biggest hits of 1939
#1 Movie
Gone with the Wind
Best Picture
Gone with the Wind
Art's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1939Born
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1944Started school
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1952Became a teenager
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Could drive
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1957Could vote
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Turned 21
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1969Turned 30
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 40
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 50
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 60
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 70
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 80
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 87 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the President of the British Orthopaedic Association in 2002.
- Played in the seminal British blues-rock band The Cheynes in the early 1960s before focusing on jazz.
- Was a long-standing member of Stan Tracey's celebrated quartet and various other leading UK jazz groups.
- Authored medical papers on orthopaedic surgery while maintaining a prolific recording and performing schedule.
Did You Know?
He performed with American jazz greats like George Coleman and Nat Adderley when they toured the UK.
Themen is a Cambridge University graduate in medicine.
He continued performing regularly well into his eighties.
His nickname in jazz circles is 'The Artful Dodger'.
“The saxophone is a bone that sings.”
