Artemis, the multi-generational, multi-cultural, all-female jazz aggregation of seven of today’s top modern jazz musicians, is already somewhat known but are making their Blue Note debut with this self-titled effort. The band has been featured in Vanity Fair and on Jazz Night in America; and has performed at Carnegie Hall and at the Newport Jazz Festival, which brought this response from label President Don Was, “On a sunny August afternoon in 2018, I was among the thousands of fans attending the Newport Jazz Festival who had their minds blown by ARTEMIS. Although each individual member of this supergroup is a bona fide jazz titan, these incredible musicians swell in the rarefied air of bands whose whole is greater than the sum of its already sublime parts. Their musical conversation is sophisticated, soulful and powerful and their groove runs deep.”
These “already sublime parts,” a septet, are pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes, tenor saxophonist /flutist Melissa Adana, clarinetist Anat Cohen, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Noriko Ueda, drummer Allison Miller, and featured vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant, who sings on two selections. These members hail from the U.S., Canada, France, Chile, Israel, and Japan. Jensen had the idea for the band name, derived from the Greek goddess Artemis, an explorer, torchbearer, protector of young children, and goddess of the hunt. The nine songs herein feature material composed and/or arranged by each of the band’s six instrumentalists in a cohesive, animated, collective vision.
Miller’s “Goddess of the Hunt” with surging power symbolizing the female traits of resilience, tenacity, determination, motherhood, versatility, nurturing, elegance, persistence, mystery, and patience. It’s meant to symbolize the cycle of life. Miller, as always, is brilliant on the traps as members solo energetically, with Jensen turning in a particularly strong spot with flute, clarinet, and trumpet blending well with Rosnes’ piano in the ensemble sections. Aldana’s “Frida” begins as a quiet ballad that builds in momentum, inspired by the inventive artist, the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, who was also the inspirational source of Aldana’s 2019 Visions. The tune winds through a series of inventive passages with solos from the horns behind Rosnes’ comping before she lays down her own delicate lines. as the tight rhythm section steers them along.
“Fool on the Hill,” is not only a melodic contribution but a political statement implied by the title and born out of the pandemic and protests. It’s as if the band is condemning the endless chatter and madness we are living under while urging us to have the same kind of productive conversations they have, musical or otherwise that take on an energy of their own. The ensemble work in this highly familiar tune is extraordinary and, again, Miller’s drumming is essential to the overall effect. That piece sets up another clear standout, Rosnes’ “Big Top,” which is a powerful, rambling, free jazz- compositional hybrid piece designed to tear down the stereotype of women in jazz as novelties.
The acclaimed vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant steps in, as only she can, with a gripping version of Stevie Wonder’s “If It’s Magic” and takes her usual path of unearthing lesser-known older songs with Machine Sullivan’s late 1940s melancholy “Cry, Buttercup, Cry,” with Rosnes’ carefully arranging both, especially the latter with a modern-day touch.
Clarinetist Cohen’s “Nocturno” is an intriguing, dreamy, pillow-like ballad designed for unison statements from the woodwinds and trumpet on the melody, interspersed with economical solos from Cohen, Aldana, and Jensen. Cohen has two well-regarded jazz playing brothers, trumpeter Avishai and saxophonist Yuvai, so she is used to approaching pieces this way. Ueda’s “Step Forward” begins with Cohen on the tense, cascading lead, followed in a similar vein by Jensen and eventually unfolds into an expansive waltz as the rhythm section kicks in, with Ueda, of course taking her turn out front. The tune was inspired by first hearing the whole tone sound in the piano pieces by the Japanese composer Yoshinao Nakata that she practiced as a child. While the title refers to the first step of a dance it also serves as a metaphor for women ‘stepping forward’ in jazz.
Artemis closes with Rosnes’ unique arrangement of Lee Morgan’s familiar “Sidewinder,” where instead of mimicking the original soul-jazz funk, she opts for subtler, more graceful statements from the lithe horns. This is yet another great example of how these women stay unpredictable, never shunning from putting their own stamp on the music. Given the depth and breadth of expression on this release, it’s not at all surprising that the 2018 Newport Jazz Festival audience responded so enthusiastically. They, like many of us, have been anticipating this release for some time now, one that clearly delivers and offers plenty to savor.
