StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Introducing Jaimie Branch

This week, let's take a look at some videos featuring trumpeter Jaimie Branch, who will be making her St. Louis debut in a concert with cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Ståle Liavik Solberg to be presented by New Music Circle on Saturday, February 9 at The Stage at KDHX.

Branch, who's 34 years old, grew up in Brooklyn, NY and Chicago and studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and Towson University. She has gained significant national attention since moving to NYC in 2015, quickly becoming a prolific participant in the city's improvised music community by leading several groups with different instrumental lineups, and also working frequently as a collaborator and side musician.

One of those many collaborations is with Lonberg-Holm and Solberg, as seen on video earlier this month as part of StLJN's winter/spring 2019 jazz preview. While that clip looks to be the best currently available documentation of them playing together, there's lots more interesting video of Branch online, starting with the clip up above, a short documentary produced in 2017 in conjunction with the release of her album Fly of Die on the International Anthem label.

After the jump, you can see a full set of Fly or Die, Branch's ensemble that shares a name with the album, as recorded in May 2018 during the 23rd annual Vision Festival at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn. Along with the leader, the band includes bassist Anton Hatwich, cellist Lester St. Louis, and drummer Chad Taylor.

Next, you can see two sets of Branch's trio, recorded almost a year apart in December and January of 2017 in NYC as part of the ongoing concert series presented by Arts for Art, which also produces Vision Festival. The December show features Branch, drummer Mike Pride, and bassist
Luke Stewart, while the January performance includes Branch, Pride, and Brandon Lopez on bass.

The fifth video features Branch playing synthesizer as well as trumpet as part of the duo Anteloper, with Jason Nazary on drums and electronics. It was recorded in August 2017 at a venue called Halyards in Brooklyn.

Last but not least, there's a short set of solo trumpet by Branch, recorded in February 2018 at Muchmore's, which also is in Brooklyn.

For more about Jaimie Branch, read her 2016 interview with Jazz Right Now, the feature story about her published in 2017 by Jazz Times, and another feature from 2018 in DownBeat.

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...