| Jazz |
Last January, I spoke to you about the excellent album by composer Renee Rosnes (Crossing Path – review on Paris-Move). Artemis is a collective of female musicians releasing their third album on the renowned Blue Note label, offering us the chance to once again hear Renee Rosnes surrounded by Ingrid Jensen on trumpet, Nicole Glover on saxophone, Noriko Ueda on double bass, and Allison Miller on drums, presenting this excellent acoustic album. It’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to hear Ingrid Jensen on trumpet; though I had often heard of her, I had not yet had the chance to hear her live or on album. This is a wonderful discovery, as is the entire ensemble of artists present on this album, which can be praised for the delicacy and intelligence of its musical arrangements.
With Renee Rosnes at the helm of this quintet, her mark is inevitably present, always maintaining a beautiful aesthetic with a form of complex jazz and dazzling beauty. That’s all it takes to convince us. Arboresque is a vibrant collection of eight tracks, featuring original compositions from each band member as well as Rosnes’s arrangements of works by Wayne Shorter (“Footprints”), Burt Bacharach (“What the World Needs Now Is Love”), and the lesser-known pianist Donald Brown, whose enigmatic and cinematic track “The Smile of the Snake” opens the album and is already available for streaming and download. “This title refers to people we love and trust, but who end up disappointing us,” explains Rosnes, a longtime admirer and friend of Brown.
This is, in fact, the profound essence of the group—being able to confront the works of each of the musicians present, and in the end, a beautiful sense of camaraderie is felt, with the central point being that nothing should be sacrificed for ease. “Our goal is to create sincere music that touches people,” says Rosnes. “We inspire each other, and we are driven by the passion of playing together. All this positive energy comes through in our music, and I think the audience can feel it.” Yes, this passion honors the music and the jazz, and it is clearly present here. It’s hard to overlook these works, especially since having pieces from each artist allows us to discover different universes. The brilliance of Renee Rosnes is in making us forget this by creating musical arrangements that give the album a beautiful sense of unity. One must only pay attention to the introductions of the tracks to notice that each composer has their own distinctive style.
As a quintet, there is an enhanced sense of flexibility. “We’ve become both freer and more connected,” confides Rosnes. Jensen is “an incredibly original voice on trumpet, capable of bringing the perfect note to a chord.” Glover, a perfect accomplice to Jensen on stage, is “a bold storyteller who plays with innate intention and freedom.” Ueda is “a virtuoso on double bass, with lines that are both grounded and airy.” Miller is “the group’s gravitational center, as well as an extraordinary orchestrator behind the drums.” With Rosnes and Ueda, the rhythm section achieves a perfect balance between power and finesse.
What more is there to say, except that this album is a true joy, one that really makes you want to see this collective live. Luckily, New Yorkers can catch six concerts at the Village Vanguard, March 4th through March 9th, and on March 13 in Baltimore (see here). We would also love to see them perform in Austin, so we begin to dream, hoping the stars align to fulfill our wishes. In the meantime, this album joins the ranks of our “Indispensables!”
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, February 21st 2025
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