Known for her progressive, avant-garde sensibilities, Jaimie ‘Breezy’ Branch - born on June 17, 1983, in Huntington, New York - was a trumpeter and a highly sought-after studio musician. Though deeply rooted in free jazz, she recorded and performed with indie acts like Belle Orchestre, Spoon, and TV on the Radio. Born in New York but raised in the Midwest, Branch’s infatuation with music started through piano but then switched to trumpet during elementary school. Throughout her teens, she developed a penchant for improvisation inspired by the likes of Don Cherry and Miles Davis as she joined her high school jazz band. She then attended the New England Conservatory, graduating in 2007 and eventually moving to Chicago, where she became a household name in the underground jazz circuit by playing with artists like Keefe Jackson, Ken Vandermark, and Tim Daisy. There, she formed the Princess Princess trio alongside bassist Toby Summerfield and drummer Frank Rosaly, while also working as an event organizer and sound engineer, actively promoting the Windy City’s music scene. In 2012, Jaimie Branch relocated to Baltimore, Maryland in order to obtain a master’s degree in Jazz Performance at Towson University, after which she relocated to New York. The city welcomed her with open arms, as she performed relentlessly and curated shows in small venues. Fly or Die, her studio debut, arrived in 2017 and featured her Fly or Die band: bassist Jason Ajemian, drummer Chad Taylor, and cellist Tomeka Reid, who was replaced by Lester St. Louis on Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise (2019). Jaimie Branch’s third album, Fly or Die Live, was issued in 2021. Jaimie Branch died on August 22, 2022, at the age of 39.
