Jaimie Branch

Jaimie "Breezy" Branch was an innovative trumpeter, composer and bandleader whose music often crossed conventional genre boundaries. She was inspired by avant-garde jazz as much as other contemporary styles of music that influenced her. Her energetic approach, solid sense of melody, and DIY esthetic were all part of what made her a unique voice in music, along with the punkish attitude with which she expressed her politics in her work. Her creativity came through both in her compositions and in her free-flowing, unrestrained, but crisp arrangements. She was accompanied by her group Fly or Die in her albums, whose final line up comprised cellist/flutist/pianist Lester St. Louis, bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer Chad Taylor.  She died on August 22nd, 2022, at the age of 39.