Saxophonist entertains neighbours in lockdown

A JAZZ saxophonist from Henley has been entertaining neighbours during the lockdown by performing nightly concerts.

Art Themen, who lives in Wharfe Lane with his partner Monique Vleugels, plays while standing in his doorway for 15 minutes every weekday and Saturday evening as neighbours watch from a safe distance.

He begins with a jazz standard, including pieces by Duke Ellington and Grover Washington, then plays a ballad and, finally, a pop song such as The Green, Green Grass of Home by Tom Jones.

The 80-year-old, a former orthopaedic surgeon at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, first played on his balcony overlooking the river about a fortnight ago.

This was at the suggestion of his neighbours Andy and Jane Trotman. He then relocated to his front doorway so that people living in properties on the other side of the street could hear.

Mr Themen said: “It was really Jane’s idea — she said we needed to show a bit more of the Dunkirk spirit to get us through this. Most people in the lane are relatively old and we needed a way of keeping everyone entertained while observing the safety restrictions.

“It’s a frustrating time for me as I’ve had to cancel about 50 gigs over the next two months so I might as well take the opportunity to play.

“Apart from a few repeats, it’s largely a different programme every night — I start with something relatively obscure and then move to pieces which the general public are more likely to be familiar with. I’ve joked with neighbours that they mustn’t let the jazz world know I’m playing anything that could be considered ‘commercial’. Last week I played Stranger on the Shore by Acker Bilk for the first time in years.

“I’m glad I moved the performances away from the riverside as only half the street could hear me. Now everyone really enjoys it — there’s one older lady who leans right out over her balcony like Rapunzel to hear me. It has been quite an incredible response.”

Mr Themen said the concerts were only for neighbours.

He said: “It wouldn’t be legal for people to assemble at the bottom of New Street under the current rules and it certainly wouldn’t be safe so I’d very much discourage that.

“However, I hope this will inspire other people who’ve got a talent to do the same for their own neighbours, as long as they stick to all the current guidelines of course. In general, we’re all finding lots of different ways to make the best of this situation. It’s part and parcel of the British way of life — we hunker down and get on with things.”

Mr Themen, who was born in Manchester, retired from medicine to focus on his music more than a decade ago and moved to Henley from Sonning in 2015. He holds a British Jazz Award for tenor sax and frequently plays at concerts in the Henley area, including the regular jazz nights at Goring village hall.