Art Themen - Thane & The Villeins

What we have here is a first-rate trio playing jazz standards by such greats as Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock and Cannonball Adderley, mixed with a little medieval tomfoolery. The songs contain extracts from texts and emails, in cod 14th-century English, written and circulated among the three of them. No one should pass up the chance of hearing Themen, he’s one of the very few totally original, and at the same time utterly engaging jazz musicians around. Even with the best, you have some idea of where the improvisation is going, but Themen piles up ideas, apparently at random, maybe with the odd outlandish quotation for good measure.

Line Up: Art Themen, - tenor sax, Pete Whittaker - organist (the Villeins) & George Double - drums(Thane)