Brooklyn NY-based composer, trumpeter, and singer jaimie branch shares second single “Theme 002” (Live at Moods 01/23/2020) available on all digital platforms today and taken from her forthcoming new live album, out digitally on May 21 st 2021 and physically in late July via International Anthem.
Drummer Chad Taylor drops us into “Theme 002” with a thundering drum solo. The rhythm section – which also features cellist Lester St Louis and bassist Jason Ajemian – floats on a groove before the trumpeter Branch busts in on muted trumpet. An electric piece of dance-inducing modern jazz!
Recorded January 23rd, 2020, at Moods in Zurich, Switzerland, the album FLY or DIE LIVE documents branch with her primary touring unit – featuring Chad Taylor on drums & mbira, Lester St. Louis on cello & percussion, Jason Ajemian on bass & vocals, and herself on trumpet & vocals. The performance captures the band in peak form, after several years of consistent touring in support of branch’s albums Fly or Die (2017) and Fly or Die II: bird dogs of paradise, and just before Covid-19 put an end to live music in general.
“I didn’t have a memory of the show being an amazing show,” jaimie branch says in Piotr Orlov’s writeup about the album for IARC. “But sometimes when you have zero memory of it being good or bad, those are the best shows. Because when you’re in the zone, in those moments of channeling creativity, there isn’t time for judgment. So oftentimes a memory is not created around that judgment, and that’s actually a good indication.” When branch reviewed the concert recording for the first time, she was unequivocal: “I think this is like the best that we’ve ever played.”
On Sunday May 16th, Moods will release the full film of the full FLY or DIE LIVE concert via their website moods.digital (along with more than 600 concerts recorded at Moods also available).