Jaimie Branch: A beacon of jazz dimmed too early

On a Sunday earlier this month, Iggy Pop, proto-punk stalwart, iconoclastic rockstar, and broadcaster, played a twofer from Jaimie Branch, the immensely talented American jazz trumpeter, on his weekly BBC 6 show, Iggy Confidential.

- Sanjoy Narayan

The two tracks he played were Borealis Dancing and Baba Louie, both from Branch's third album, Fly Or Die Fly Or Die Fly Or Die (World War), which came out last year. Iggy didn't mention it but that was Branch's final album and it came out posthumously. Branch died in August 2022, exactly a year before the release of that album. She was only 39, and her death, according to media reports, was caused by an accidental drug overdose.

Branch's death had come as a crushing blow to jazz musicians, fans and music journalists who had been hugely impressed by her remarkably talented performances, recordings and compositions. In the span of an abruptly shortened career, Branch had emerged as a big influencer for many musicians and had quickly acquired acclaim among connoisseurs of modern jazz. Including the posthumous last album, as a bandleader, she has just four albums (one of them is a live recording; the others are studio albums) for us to experience her talent. But she has also left for us another body of work through her many collaborations.

When you listen to Jaimie Branch for the first time-either on her studio albums or on some of the video recordings of her live performances-the first thing that strikes you is her boldness.