Three years after the discharge of Artemis’ self-titled debut album, the acclaimed ensemble returns with the May 5 launch of In Real Time, a fabulous follow-up that highlights the improvisational energy of its members in addition to their respective items as composers.
The album showcases a brand new lineup of the collective with founding members—pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Noriko Ueda, and drummer Allison Miller – joined by newcomers Nicole Glover on tenor saxophone and Alexa Tarantino on alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, and flute. The 8-song set presents compelling originals together with selection preparations of items by Lyle Mays (“Slink”) and Wayne Shorter (“Penelope”).
In Real Time is launched with the brightly swinging single “Lights Away From Home,” a bit composed by Ueda which was impressed when the bassist witnessed a meteor bathe on a small, remoted island in upstate New York. “I made a sketch of the piece the next morning while sitting on the same rock where I saw the shooting stars, remembering the excitement of the experience,” Ueda remembers. “My aim was to write something with a positive, upbeat vibe.”
The band’s 2020 debut was met with broad essential acclaim. “Collectively, the sheer force of the group’s ability is staggering,” wrote DownBeat. The Wall Street Journal praised their “ability to move gracefully through various styles and moods and to sound, by turns, authoritative and playful, locked-in or loose-limbed,” including that “Artemis means to upend expectations, gently and yet with force. Its music comes off like a nuanced argument for a fresh point of view.”
“The new album is an authentic representation of the collective and the individual,” Miller says. “Our growth as a band is clear from the downbeat. There is a trust that has become more solidified since our first recording and the chemistry is palpable.”
ARTEMIS – TOUR DATES: 2023:
March 24 – Zellerbach Hall – Berkeley, CA
April 15 – Princeton University Jazz Festival – Princeton, NJ
April 20 – Weis Center for the Performing Arts – Lancaster, PA
April 23 – Campbell Hall – Santa Barbara, CA
May 4 – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – New Orleans, LA
May 21 – Ravenscroft Center for the Performing Arts – Scottsdale, AZ
July 9 – North Sea Jazz Festival – Rotterdam, Netherlands
July 11 – Barbican Hall – London, England
July 14 – Musiques en été – Geneva, Switzerland
July 17 – Jazz a Toulon – Toulon, France
Sept. 26-30 – Birdland Jazz Club – New York, NY.