Arboresque in Bloomington, MN

There's always been a literate, poetic quality to the jazz group
Artemis
' work; they are named after the Greek goddess of hunting, after all. They continue these divine poetic themes on their third album, 2025's
Arboresque
. It's a title that works as a nice metaphor for the band itself with pianist and leader
Rene Rosnes
as the trunk of the
musical tree and her bandmates -- trumpeter
Ingrid Jensen
, saxophonist
Nicole Glover
, bassist
Noriko Ueda
, and drummer
Allison Miller
-- springing forth as branches. They are a jazz supergroup for sure, but one whose artistry is rooted in a generous group aesthetic. The album kicks off with pianist
Donald Brown
's sinewy "The Smile of the Snake," a windy minor-key modal number with a roiling New Orleans-esque groove. It's a showcase for
Jensen
's muted,
Art Farmer
-esque trumpet work, after which
Rosnes
explodes into a boldly out-of-time, avant-garde-leaning solo. From there, they dive into bassist
Ueda
's "Komorebi," whose flowing, soulful harmonies bring to mind the '80s
Terence Blanchard
and
Donald Harrison
group. More evocative vibes follow, as on "Sights Unseen," a driving, fusion-esque number that opens with spacey trumpet and synth vocalizations, all of which conjure
Herbie Hancock
's '70s
Mwandishi
band. Call it the six degrees of
Miles Davis
, but
further commune with the Dark Prince of Jazz on
Glover
's "Petrichor," a
Wayne Shorter
-esque ballad like something off
Night Dreamer
. They further underscore the influence with an ear-popping arrangement of
Shorter
's "Footprints" before dancing into an inspired reworking of
Burt Bacharach
's "What the World Needs Now Is Love," their 3/4 waltz rhythm and
's muted trumpet once again evoking the spirit of
Davis
' second great quintet. On a deeper level, the tree metaphor of
perhaps works better as a representation of the band's many influences, with artists like
(with whom
played) being the roots of the great jazz tree from which
branches forth. However you view the metaphor,
finds
having bloomed even more into a creatively cohesive and organic ensemble. ~ Matt Collar