Jaimie Branch 17.06.83 – 22.08.22

It was with great sadness that I learnt of the death of jazz trumpeter Jaimie Branch on Aug 22nd. I didn’t know Jaimie but she played trumpet and performed in the production of my work Triumph of Crowds at Downtown Art in New York in 2017, thanks to Fiona Templeton’s direction of the piece. I briefly met Jaimie, shared a drink with her and watched her perform in the work a few times.

She was an astonishing trumpeter. The improvisation that she, along with her co-trumpeter and performer Heru Shabaka-Ra, brought to the live production of Triumph of Crowds was extraordinary in its nuance and finesse. Their playing set the temper of the work, and was its ground.

Listening now to her album ‘Fly or Die’ I feel very privileged to have been able to share in a small part of her amazing talent and spirit.

We will listen on Jaimie.

Jaimie Branch in The Triumph of Crowds, Downtown Art, New York Dec 2017

Hear more of Jaimie’s work here on her Bandcamp page. https://jaimiebranch.bandcamp.com/