Debut from New Jazz Supergroup featuring Pianist/Musical Director Renee Rosnes, Clarinetist Anat Cohen, Tenor Saxophonist Melissa Aldana, Trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, Bassist Noriko Ueda, Drummer Allison Miller & Vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant!
Artemis – the jazz supergroup comprised of pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes, clarinetist Anat Cohen, tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Noriko Ueda, drummer Allison Miller, and featured vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant – release their self-titled debut album on Blue Note Records.
The group is distinctive not only for bringing together seven singular artists, each renowned for their own remarkable solo career; but for its multi-generational and globe-spanning line-up with members hailing from the US, Canada, France, Chile, Israel, and Japan. Artemis conjures a powerful collective voice from seven of the most acclaimed musicians in modern jazz. "Each member of Artemis is a unique character which is what a band needs – versatility," says Cohen. "That's what makes life interesting and that's what makes music fascinating – the personalities."
Artemis is a superb nine-song set that features material composed and/or arranged by each of the band's six instrumentalists. Artemis unfurls with a dynamic flow, stunningly eclectic yet entirely cohesive. "The group identity emerged organically," Rosnes notes, and Artemis discovered a thrilling collective vision early in its lifespan. "We are seven leaders, each with our own vision and personal point of view, but we play with a unified conception."
"‘Goddess Of The Hunt' is a sonic exploration of the powerful traits that define women," explains Miller. "We are resilient, tenacious, determined, life-giving, versatile, nurturing, elegant, mysterious, cunning, persistent, and patient. I love how each soloist clearly expresses their unique power." "The Greek goddess Artemis is an explorer, a torch bringer, a protector of young children, and a goddess of the hunt," adds Jensen, who conceived of the band's name. "I feel that her character is indicative of the energies and wide array of musical tapestries that Artemis the band brings to the stage as we take our music to the moon, the stars, and beyond."
"Although each individual member of this supergroup is a bona fide jazz titan, these incredible musicians dwell in the rarefied air of bands whose whole is greater than the sum of its already sublime parts," proclaims Blue Note President Don Was. "Their musical conversation is sophisticated, soulful and powerful, and their groove runs deep."
- Goddess Of The Hunt
- Frida
- The Fool On The Hill
- Big Top
- If It's Magic
- Nocturno
- Step Forward
- Cry, Buttercup, Cry
- The Sidewinder