“You know, even assholes need some love.” So said Jaimie Branch in a 2019 interview with Aquarium Drunkard. She was explaining “Love Song,” one of the tunes on her 2019 album Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise. And without necessarily trying, Branch was also cluing folks in to the kind of connection that […]
Tag: Fly or Die
Posted inMusic
Fly or Die Live catches Jaimie Branch’s quartet reaching new heights
If the world can agree on one thing, it’s that 2020 was not our best year on record. For former Chicagoan Jaimie Branch, it should’ve been a time of triumph for her current quartet, Fly or Die. The group were riding the wave of a splendid sophomore LP, where Branch added vocals with tragically topical […]
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Jaimie Branch’s Fly or Die band celebrates a new record that nixes the sophomore jinx
Jaimie Branch’s 2017 debut LP, Fly or Die, heralded the arrival of an already mature talent. While it wasn’t a secret that she’s a superb trumpeter, it was her chops as a composer and bandleader that made the record stand out. She devised bold themes and galvanic grooves that inspired a band of elder musicians, […]
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Peter Margasak’s 40 favorite albums of 2017, numbers 30 through 21
Veteran Reader critic Peter Margasak counts down his 40 favorite records of the year—this installment includes music by Björk, Jaimie Branch, and Jürg Frey.
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International Anthem brings punk idealism to progressive jazz
Chicago label International Anthem puts in the sweat to bring progressive jazz the audience it deserves.
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Trumpeter Jaimie Branch returns to Chicago to celebrate the release of her first LP
Jaimie Branch may have moved away from Chicago in 2012, but she’s never severed her roots here. They go so deep on the trumpeter’s first album, Fly or Die, that they could wrap a few times around the Deep Tunnel: not only is it being released by local imprint International Anthem, but everyone who plays […]
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Trumpeter Jaimie Branch finally spreads her wings
More than 12 years after her blazing debut on the Chicago jazz scene, trumpeter Jaimie Branch releases Fly or Die, her first album as a bandleader.