It’s rather hard to believe that the jazz supergroup Artemis has been together, albeit in different configurations, for nine years. The label ‘all-female jazz supergroup’ was used almost universally when they first emerged. Yet, in some ways, that diminishes the power and the status they have attained, having been voted the finest working group in jazz in Downbeat’s 2023 and 2024 readers polls.
Originally comprised of seven members, the present quintet has played together longer than any of the Artemis lineups. They are primary arranger and leader, pianist Renee Rosnes, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, bassist Noriko Ueda, and drummer Allison Miller. All are original members except Glover, who replaced Melissa Aldana and has gone on to build her own solo Blue Note career. Note the two-horn front line, evoking Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers and, of course, Miles Davis’s Second Great Quintet. Arboresque features five originals, one from each band member, and three covers, all arranged by Rosnes.
Ueda’s “Komorebi” is the first original, translated to sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees. It begins rather pensively with soft tones from the two horns. Still, it grows more intense over Rosnes’ emphatic chords and expressive solos from Glover, the pianist, Jensen, the composer, and a spirited ensemble playing to cap the piece. Jensen’s “Sights Unseen” has Rosnes on Rhodes with the trumpeter’s beginning fanfare call, accented by Miller’s kinetic kit work. Jensen is well known for her fiery work and displays that here, inspiring Glover to go beast-like with her trademark furious clusters. The piece recedes for a lively dialogue by the rhythm section, featuring solos from Rosnes (on Rhodes) and Miller. Jensen’s thoughts on composting the piece were a wake-up call to our collective imaginations and that we approach what we see and hear with the innocence of a child. Glover’s calming ballad, “Petrichor,” is best understood when knowing that the title is about that unique aroma that fills the air after the first rain after a period of drought. It’s a nice contrast to the former, indicating how the group can play unleashed and with utmost restraint. Rosnes’ shimmering piano and Jensen’s muted trumpet give it a lustrous sheen.
Rosnes, who long had a penchant for Latin and Brazilian rhythms, brings the Latin-tinged “Olive Branch,” which is not only a universal symbol of peace but sacred in many cultures, dating back to Greek mythology. This mid-tempo piece has the horns playing most lyrically, as the group was inspired by a Spanish olive grove they encountered on tour. Ueda takes her robust turn to Miller’s insistent snare and Rosnes’ gentle comping. Miller stirs it up as the group, in fine ensemble form, finishes it off dynamically. Miller’s “Little Cranberry” references a picturesque island in Maine, as the music takes the shape of a well-earned retreat, an exceptional balance of contentment and excitement that marks the best vacation.
Rosnes has a special affection for the under-recognized pianist Donald Brown, who held the piano chair for Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the early ‘80s and recently has been a mainstay in Kenny Garrett’s group. She recorded one of Brown’s pieces on her 1990 Blue Note debut and here arranged “The Smile of the Snake,” about people you love and trust but end up disappointing you. Accordingly, the piece begins brightly but later brings darker tones, rendered mainly by Glover. Yet, it’s one where Rosnes’ pianism shines. Artemis takes a faithful and reverent reading of Wayne Shorter’s spiraling “Footprints,” probably his most covered tune, here reprising it as Shorter’s group performed it in the late ‘80s with a searching Glover and blistering Jensen in peak form. The eminently recognizable Bacharach and David’s “What the World Needs Now is Love” may be a questionable addition. Upon inception, conceived as a protest song, it doesn’t resonate that way here without the lyrics, but it proves fertile for free improvisation. That said, the sentiment is worthy in these times, as is the fluid, exquisite music of Artemis, a collection of talent that would rival any, past or present.
