Notes On jaimie branch’s “FLY or DIE LIVE”

FLY or DIE LIVE

One sign of good fortune is having friends who recommend good music. They share links. They loan LPs. They call out across the store when you’re digging through the crates and they find that record you have to hear. My friends James and Steve go above and beyond. A promoter and club owner, they have set up countless shows for the musicians they most admire. They’re well versed in the jazz classics, but it’s the contemporary scene they celebrate most eagerly. They’ll tell you we live in a golden age of jazz, and they back it up. And whenever they ask, “You don’t know her/him/them?”, it’s not a judgment. It’s an invitation. There was an extra charge in their voices when they first told me about trumpet player jaimie branch.

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Fuel Consumption Way Too Fast

Fuel Consumption Way Too Fast
The Jaimie Branch Trio

by Mike Faloon

Arrive early at Quinn’s in Beacon and you’ll see instruments waiting on stage and musicians mingling up front. Chances are whoever is playing that night has already caught up with Craig. He knows everyone and their records, too, though you’d have to prompt him on those. He’s humble. The seat next to Craig is open. I order a drink and ask how he’s doing. “Had a late night and a busy week,” he says, “one set then I’m gone.”

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