ARTEMIS READY TO HEAL POST-PANDEMIC CROWD
Freihofer’s jazz fest first live gig for outfit since COVID
Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival returns this weekend after the blemish of COVID -19 wiped out what would have been its 43rd edition last summer. Still feeling the pandemic’s effect, the 43rd festival on Saturday and Sunday will be abbreviated, with safety rules in place and guidelines being observed. But the quality of the music remains top shelf.
One of the luminous bands to be presented will be the all-female band Artemis, appearing on Sunday. The group was formed only a few years ago, comprised largely of women talented enough to have their own bands. But occasion and good fortune brought them together and a special bond was formed. They decided that it shouldn’t be broken.
As Artemis ascended — with critical acclaim and gigs piling up — the coronavirus disrupted them and the music world went dark. The Saratoga Springs show will be the band’s first appearance since the shutdown. It’s not being taken for granted.
“Music has always been a healing force,” said pianist and Artemis musical director Renee Rosnes in early June from her New Jersey home. “And it can be also a type of advocacy for change in the world. We're seeing a lot of things going on right now (in the world) . ... I think that probably music kept a lot of people sane. Because it's a way of feeling connected when you listen.
“We all need it more than ever right now and to be able to perform live again in front of a live audience will be great for all of us, the musicians as well as the audience.”
In the band with Rosnes are trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer Allison Miller. Original member Melissa Aldana on sax is gone. The band rolls on.
“We're thrilled to have a young tenor sax player named Nicole Glover join us," Says Rosnes. "She's been in New York quite a while and she's really one of the most amazing musicians I've heard in a long time.” It will be Glover’s second gig, the first being in January 2020 before the shutdown.
Rosnes (who happens to be married to another fine jazz pianist, Bill Charlap) has played with a who’s who of jazz stars. She has fierce energy and a driving sense of swing. She plays with delicacy as easily as she burns with intensity. Those are traits her bandmates share as well. Jensen is a superb trumpeter with a strong resume, including playing in some of the top jazz big bands. Miller runs her own band, Boom Tic Boom, as well as playing with other fine jazz artists and pop acts like Ani Difranco. Ueda is an up-andcomer from Japan.
The all-female jazz band is anything but a novelty. The name comes from Greek mythology. Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, an explorer and protector of young children. Jansen came up with the name, which is also the title of its first album on Blue Note records. The seed was planted in 2017 when Rosnes put together an all-female band to celebrate International Women's Day at a concert in Paris. The group not only made an impression on music lovers but also the musicians themselves.
The debut album has nine cuts, with members contributing originals. There are also reimaginings of the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill" and Lee Morgan’s “The Sidewinder.” Rosnes does a lot of the arranging.
Rosnes said the band rehearsals were set for mid-june, the first time for playing together in well over a year. But the closeness Artemis had won’t be defeated by a virus.
“There is a natural chemistry that was there from the beginning. We've been in touch with one another talking. Occasionally we join each other to thru Zoom to do interviews with various people,” Rosnes said. “When we get together to play again, just going to be like riding a bike. Once you've been there you don't forget. It will be a natural hookup. I have no worries about that at all.”’
After the initial festival performance in France, a small tour was organized in the summer of 2017. Rosnes said she heard many comments during the tour from people about how inspirational were the band and the music. “Not just women. All genders.”
Then, they collectively decided to continue and the first CD was developed. “The chemistry was so palpable. It just kept deepening. Also, we just love hanging out together. I think there's a group sound ... We all have different musical personalities, but when we play together, we're a team.”
Artemis is already working on a second album. Rosnes said festivalgoers can expect tunes from the debut CD, but there may be a couple new things tossed in.
Meanwhile during the pandemic, Rosnes did a recording that included stellar players like saxophonist Chris Potter and bassist Christian Mcbride. Miller did an album with singer Carmen Staaf and Jensen has been busy at the Manhattan School of Music where she is interim associate dean and director of the jazz arts program.
But “nothing changed the fact that we're still going to be a long-lasting band,” said Rosnes. “We had so much work canceled. But we already have a lot of new work and new engagements coming in.” There are gigs through the end of the year and a European tour set for early 2022, before heading back to the U.S. for an appearance at the Kennedy Center and performances on the West Coast.
“So, we've got a lot of work coming up and can't wait to get to it,” she said. “It'll be good to be together again and get back out on the road."
“We all need it more than ever right now and to be able to perform live again in front of a live audience will be great for all of us, the musicians as well as the audience.” — Renee Rosnes