Jaimie Branch

Known for pushing boundaries through free jazz and contemporary creative improvisation, American trumpeter Jaimie Branch established herself as an innovative force in avant-garde circles. Her first recordings under her own name came with the widely praised 2017 release Fly or Die, though she had already contributed to numerous groups such as Bullet Hell, Galactic Unity Ensemble, Keefe Jackson's Project Project, and New Fracture Quartet, along with Spoon, TV on the Radio, and Belle Orchestre. The follow-up Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise appeared in 2019. Branch passed away unexpectedly in 2022 at age 39, with her concluding statement Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) issued the next year.

She entered the world on Long Island before growing up in Wilmette, Illinois, where childhood piano instruction gave way to trumpet study during elementary years. Improvisation lessons and participation in her high school jazz ensemble marked her teenage period, during which she also sought entry to performances at venues including Lounge Ax and the Velvet Lounge. Following graduation she completed an undergraduate degree at Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music under instructors John McNeil, Joe Morris, and Steve Lacy, while spending one semester in Chicago that brought performing opportunities with Fred Lonberg-Holm’s Lightbox Orchestra. After receiving her NEC diploma in 2007, Branch settled back in Chicago and began regular collaborations with Keefe Jackson, Jason Ajemian, and Tim Daisy, in addition to forming the Princess Princess collective alongside bassist Toby Summerfield and drummer Frank Rosaly. Trumpeter Dave Douglas took notice and extended an invitation to appear at the Festival of New Trumpet Music in New York City.

Branch relocated several times in subsequent years, completing an arts residency in Chesterhill, Ohio, followed by two years of graduate study at Towson University in Baltimore, before moving to New York in 2015. Heroin addiction presented ongoing challenges during this stretch, leading her to pursue treatment. Once established in Brooklyn she quickly became active, leading ensembles at local clubs and organizing performances. Her debut full-length Fly or Die surfaced in 2017, featuring bassist Jason Ajemian, cellist Tomeka Reid, drummer Chad Taylor, and a guest turn by cornetist Josh Berman. In August 2019 she joined flutist Anne La Berge and violist Ig Henneman for the Relative Pitch album Dropping Stuff and Other Folk Songs.

That same year International Anthem issued her second leader date, Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise, again with Ajemian and Taylor plus cellist Lester St. Louis. On August 22, 2022, Branch died at her Brooklyn residence at the age of 39. Her third album, Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)), followed one year later.