Classic-rock songs often turn into cultural signposts for no clear reason — what does this 1969 Blind Faith epic really mean, anyway, with its obtuse lyrics and addictive, endless vamping? The pianist Christian Sands and his trio make the song matter again. Yasushi Nakamura’s exploratory bass line opens the way for Sands’s touch on the keyboard, at first light, then increasingly driven by Clarence Penn’s kicking drum. In their hands, the song is about questing itself: its loneliness and excitement, the determination it requires, the way the final destination ultimately doesn’t matter. Music is the best place to find yourself, getting lost.
ARTEMIS—the jazz supergroup comprised of pianist and musical director ReneeRosnes, clarinetist Anat Cohen, tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, trumpeter IngridJensen, bassist Noriko Ueda, drummer Allison Miller, and featured vocalist Cécile McLorinSalvant—has announced their debut album ARTEMIS, which will be released September 11 on Blue Note Records and is available for pre-order now on vinyl, CD, or download. The album’s lead track “Goddess Of The Hunt,” a thrilling instrumental composition written by Miller that channels the band’s namesake Greek goddess, is available to stream or download today.
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 says, 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,” says 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,” explains 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.”
Despite its relatively brief existence, ARTEMIS has already been featured in Vanity Fair and on NPR’s Jazz Night in America, and has performed on some of the country’s most iconic stages from Carnegie Hall to the Newport Jazz Festival.
“On a sunny August afternoon in 2018, I was among the thousands of fans attending the Newport Jazz Festival who had their minds blown by ARTEMIS,” says Blue Note President Don Was. “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. Their musical conversation is sophisticated, soulful and powerful, and their groove runs deep.”
The track listing for ARTEMIS is as follows:
Goddess Of The Hunt (Allison Miller)
Frida (Melissa Aldana)
The Fool On The Hill (John Lennon/Paul McCartney, arr. by Ingrid Jensen)
Big Top (Renee Rosnes)
If It’s Magic feat. Cécile McLorin Salvant (Stevie Wonder, arr. by Renee Rosnes)
PLEASE EMAIL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES NOW and TELL THEM YOU SUPPORT NITO!!!
Congress will be voting THIS MONTH, so we need your help NOW. Ask your legislators to support the RESTART Act, introduced by Senators Young and Bennet, in the Senate, and Representatives Golden and Kelly, in the House.
Follow the link below to email your local representatives and US senators and #SaveLiveMusic. The process only takes a few minutes. We urge you to complete this and forward this to all other members of your touring organization, managers, musicians, and crew members.
Please note that after the initial letter is sent you will be directed to a second page that will assist in sending a tweet directly to your representatives as well.
TKA is a founding member of The National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) which is fighting to save the entire independent music community.
The long wait for a new The GreyboyAllstars album is over after seven years. Today, the band released Como De Allstars, their first LP since 2013’s Inland Emperor.
Formed in the mid-1990s, GBA features guitarist Elgin Park, multi-instrumentalist Karl Denson, keyboardist Robert Walter, bassist Chris Stillwell and drummer Aaron Redfield. The quintet recorded the nine-track Como De Allstars over the course of just three days.
Since the dawn of the suffrage movement, innumerable queer women — many of them artists — have played a key role in the battle for women’s rights. From suffrage songs to today’s pop hits, how do queer female musicians share messages about justice, equality, and change? How are modern artists informed by the past, and how does their music imagine a more equitable future? Join singer, songwriter, performer, producer and founder of the Looking Out Foundation, Brandi Carlile musician Meshell Ndegeocello, and performer Hayley Kiyoko in conversation with Technology and culture reporter, Nellie Bowles.
AMERICAN PATCHWORK QUARTET (APQ) is on a mission to reclaim the immigrant soul of American Roots Music. Grammy-nominated vocalist Falu Shah, Grammy-winning guitarist/vocalist Clay Ross, 3x Grammy-winning drummer Clarence Penn, and highly acclaimed bassist Yasushi Nakamura showcase the dynamic diversity of contemporary culture by reimagining timeless songs from America’s past.
APQ draws on a repertoire of centuries-old American folk songs that highlight America’s immigrant roots. They showcase America’s dynamic present by combining the diverse talents of four U.S. citizens, each with a unique cultural background. In this group, old songs are made new through creative arrangements that highlight the exceptional and well-honed skills of each member.
APQ performances strive to counter pervasive prejudices around the issues of race and immigration. In order to help strengthen our country’s social fabric, APQ desires that its audiences reflect on the notion that as Americans we must acknowledge our differences to discover our commonalities. We must recognize the realities of racism and prejudice in order to build authentic and lasting bonds across cultures and color lines. While we are not responsible for our country’s past, we are accountable for its future.
Twisted Pine Release “Don’t Come Over Tonight,” Reveal Upcoming New Album. “Don’t Come Over Tonight” is one piece of Right Now, out August 14, the third release from Twisted Pine, their follow up to 2018’s Dreams. On Right Now, the band—Parks, along with flautist Anh Phung, bassist Chris Sartori and Dan Bui on mandolin.
Representatives from 14 of the leading independent music talent agencies have joined together in a coalition to advocate for the success and well-being of its members, the artists they represent and by extension, the music ecosystem.
The coalition – the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) – will advocate in Washington D.C. and state governments in an effort to ensure the survival of the live music community as the nation and economy slowly recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
NITO is a non-profit group is open to membership beyond traditional talent agencies, including U.S.-based small businesses and majority owner-operated independent management companies (NAICS Code 711410).
In addition, NITO has invited U.S.-based artists, crew, and other live touring entities to join as non-dues paying associate members.
“NITO stands with the artists and all of those who make up the world of live performances. It’s a fully integrated world, that is reliant on and supportive of one another, as no one can productively and successfully navigate this environment on their own. When all things come together in the best way, these shows and this music bring joy and happiness in an otherwise troublesome and dangerous world,” said High Road Touring’s Frank Riley.
“As owners of our individual entertainment businesses, we have given our all and more to our firms. Our small businesses are self-funded and independent, but nonetheless have a significant economic impact on the many who rely on our work. My fellow NITO co-founders and members are calling on the independent human spirit that all like-minded self-starters can get behind. We are focused on government support and reform during this economic crisis, while building an environment where entertainment entrepreneurs can discuss their common goals and stand together in unity,” added Madison House’s Nadia Prescher.
NITO’s 14 founding small independent businesses alone currently represent approximately 2,000 artists.
NITO’s Founding Members
Entourage Talent / Wayne Forte Ground Control Touring / Eric Dimenstein High Road Touring / Frank Riley Leave Home Booking / Stormy Shepherd Madison House / Nadia Prescher Mongrel Music / Brad Madison New Frontier Touring / Paul Lohr Panache Booking / Michelle Cable Partisan Arts / Tom Chauncey, Hank Sacks Pinnacle Entertainment / Scott Sokol Sound Talent Group / Dave Shapiro Skyline Artists Agency / Mark Lourie, Bruce Houghton TKO / Steve Schenck The Kurland Agency / Ted Kurland, Jack Randall
In the first video of his new “Quarantets” series, Sunny Jain gives the title track of his latest album Wild Wild East a new twist with performers from around the world, recording from their own homes.
Taking an adventurous new direction, Harold López-Nussa fuses reggaeton and latin jazz with Cuban superstar Randy Malcom of Gente de Zona in his new single JazzTón.
“The apparent go-to Cuban jazz pianist[‘s]…latest track ‘JazzTón’ is a super-charged shot of Latin jazz infused with reggaeton rhythms, and is arguably the stand-out track from the pianist’s forthcoming Te Lo Dije album.”
The official JazzTón music video is out everywhere May 29.
