Jaimie Branch was a stellar musician, a unique artist of the trumpet. She had such a brilliant and expressive personality on the horn, she could shout, cry, sing, bark, soothe, and explode with joy. While listening to her play, I once mused to myself that Jaimie could likely take down the walls of Jericho herself if she set her mind to it. She was a powerful force based in the New York creative music community, but she worked with incredible artists around the world. In her short but prolific career, she recorded on at least over 70 albums by my count. It’s likely that she recorded far more than that. Jaimie Branch died on August 22 at the impossible age of 39. My age. Her death shocked the jazz community, as we all felt she was on her way to a legendary, inexhaustible, massive career. I never met her, nor had I ever seen her perform live. But I was a massive fan, and my ears were always happy to hear her on whatever latest project she was on.
Tonight, we celebrate her art, her life, and her spirit. We celebrate somberly, and we mourn. I wish those that knew her and loved her peace and grace, for I can’t imagine how they are feeling right now. I had originally considered putting together a playlist of various recordings from several albums, but I’d rather use this show to showcase her 2017 debut as a leader, Fly or Die, a gargantuan album. It’s beautiful, it’s intense, it can be harsh and it can be lovely. It’s a modern classic, one that will echo in the creative music world for sometime.
So we’re gonna check out the whole record, and I’ll pop back in to share about Jaimie’s life, her quotes on music, and to read from the wonderful obituary written by Natalie Weiner. And before we dive into FLY or DIE, I’d like to share a Jaimie Branch quote that Natalie includes in her article: “We in a slippery time right now, The only world we know is still spinnin’ but who knows for how long so let’s be there for each other”
Rest in Peace Jaimie.
Natalie Weiner’s obituary for Jaimie Branch
https://tidal.com/magazine/article/jaimie-branch-rip/1-86415
Link to Jaimie Branch’s album, FLY or DIE
https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/fly-or-die
MUSIC
1. Jump off (:15)
2. Theme 001 (3:53)
3. …meanwhile (2:49)
4. Theme 002 (5:20)
5. Leaves of glass (3:00)
TALK 2
6. The storm (5:48)
7. Waltzer (6:28)
8. Fly or die (:52)
9. Theme nothing (5:16)
10. …back at the ranch (1:30)
END TALK
