Who was Jaimie Branch? Tributes pour in as Jazz trumpeter and composer dies aged 39

Famous jazz composer and trumpet player Jaimie Branch passed away on Monday, August 22, at the age of 39. The news was announced by International Anthem, the Chicago-based label that released her music, through an official statement.

Branch’s cause of death has not been shared and detailed information about her funeral is yet to be announced.

Everything known about Jaimie Branch

Born on June 17, 1983, Jaimie Branch began playing trumpet when she was nine years old. She then shifted to the Chicago suburb of Wilmette at the age of 14 and enrolled in the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.

Following her graduation, Branch returned to Chicago and began working as a musician, organizer, and sound engineer for local music with Jason Ajemian, Keefe Jackson, Tim Daisy, Anton Hatwich, and Ken Vandermark. She performed in Chicago and New York with artists like Toby Summerfield, Frank Rosaly, Tim Daisy, Daniel Levin, Matt Schneider, and more.

Branch formed the band Block and Tackle with Jason Stein, Jeb Bishop, and Jason Roebke, and played for five albums from 2006 to 2008. She joined Towson University in 2012 for a master’s degree in Jazz performance and formed the record label Pionic Records at the same time.

However, she left Towson after two years and went to New York to treat her heroin addiction. She moved to Brooklyn in 2015 and started working with artists like Mike Pride, Jason Nazary, Fred Lonberg-Holm, and many more.

Jaimie also worked on albums with independent rock groups like Never Enough Hope, Local H, and Atlas Moth. She then worked with Chad Taylor, Jason Ajemian, and Tomeka Reid in 2016 alongside Mike Pride, Tobey Cederberg, Shayna Dulberger, Yoni Kretzmer, and Weasel Walter.

She released her debut solo album, Fly or Die, in 2017. International Anthem released her second album Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise in 2019.

Branch’s musical influences included Don Cherry, Axel Dorner, Booker Little, and Miles Davis.

Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Jaimie Branch gained recognition for her work with well-known musicians in all these years. People took to Twitter to pay tribute to the talented musician when news of her demise was announced.

Jaimie is survived by her mother, Sally Branch; a sister, Kate Branch; two brothers, Russell and Clark Branch; and nieces and nephews.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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