This celebratory release event for “Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)),” the final album by the late trumpeter and composer jaimie branch and her quartet Fly or Die, will begin with a screening of never-before-seen footage of the band’s final concert together. Recorded live at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska for International Anthem, this film shows jaimie in all her glory as she plays against a backdrop of her own artwork.
Directly following the screening, trumpeters Dave Ballou and Rob Mazurek, guitarist Marc Ribot, and pianist Angelica Sanchez will each perform solo sets. Then, all will join Mike Pride and Luke Stewart, as well as Aquiles Navarro, Tcheser Holmes, Amirtha Kidambi, Anthony Pirog and Heru Shabaka-Ra for a special jam in tribute to their friend, and collaborator, jaimie branch.
Part 1: Screening – Never-before-seen footage of jaimie branch & Fly or Die’s final concert at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska.
Part 2: solo sets – Dave Ballou, Rob Mazurek, Marc Ribot, and Angelica Sanchez
Part 3: Jam – Dave Ballou: Trumpet, Rob Mazurek: Trumpet, Aquiles Navarro: Trumpet, Tcheser Holmes: Drums, Amirtha Kidambi: Vocals, Mike Pride: Drums, Luke Stewart: Bass, Anthony Pirog: Guitar, Heru Shabaka-Ra: Trumpet, Marc Ribot: Guitar, Angelica Sanchez: piano
A portion of the proceeds of this event will go to the jaimie branch Foundation.
A livestream will be available free of charge at 8pm on the day of the performance and archived for future viewing. Watch below or on YouTube.
jaimie branch (1983 – 2022) is a Brooklyn based improvisor, composer, and trumpeter whose work is primarily focused on expanding the sonic and technical limitations of the trumpet in free and improvised musics. Branch received her bachelors degree in music from the New England Conservatory of Music where she studied with John McNeil, Joe Morris, and Steve Lacy. In May 2017, Branch released her debut record as a leader, Fly or Die (International Anthem 011), to critical acclaim. Her follow up release, Fly or Die II: bird dogs of paradise was released in October 2019, and Fly or Die LIVE was released in May 2021, both also on the International Anthem label. Her third and final record with the quartet is due out in August 2023. Branch believes that all the music in the Universe lives in a cloud just above our heads and that if you listen, you can hear it. Listen. Can you hear it?
Rob Mazurek is an interdisciplinary artist/abstractivist, with a focus on electro-acoustic composition, improvisation, performance, painting, sculpture, video, film, and installation, who spent much of his creative life in Chicago and then Brazil. He Currently lives and works in Marfa, Texas. He is director/composer of Exploding Star Orchestra and co/leads the Chicago Underground and São Paulo Underground Collectives. Mazurek leads an array of unique ensembles from solo to octet and has released over 70 records on various labels including International Anthem, Rogue Art and Astral Spirits. Mazurek’s work incorporates sound as vision and vision as sound in interesting ways, a vocabulary constantly shapeshifting, utilizing disparate elements to construct complete works of inter and outer feeling tectonics that have the capacity to shift perception past, present and future. Time Travel Devices toward multiverse complete love unity.
Marc Ribot, who the New York Timesdescribes as “a deceptively articulate artist who uses inarticulateness as an expressive device,” has released 25 albums under his own name over a 40-year career, exploring everything from the pioneering jazz of Albert Ayler to the Cuban sonof Arsenio Rodríguez. Rolling Stone points out that “Guitarist Marc Ribot helped Tom Waits refine a new, weird Americana on 1985’s Rain Dogs, and since then he’s become the go-to guitar guy for all kinds of roots-music adventurers: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Elvis Costello, John Mellencamp.” Additional recording credits include Neko Case, Diana Krall, Elton John/Leon Russell’s The Union, Solomon Burke, John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards, Marianne Faithful, Joe Henry, Allen Toussaint, Medeski Martin & Wood, Caetono Veloso, Susana Baca, Allen Ginsburg, Madeline Peyroux, Nora Jones, Céu, Akiko Yano, The Black Keys, and many others. Marc works regularly with Grammy® award winning producer T Bone Burnett and NY composer John Zorn. He has also composed and performed on numerous film scores such as “Walk The Line”, “The Kids Are All Right,” and “The Departed” (Scorcese).
Dave Ballou is a trumpeter/Composer/Improvisor who can be heard in a variety of settings, from solo trumpet improvisations to large ensembles. His recordings can be found on the Steeplechase, CleanFeed, pfMentum and the Out of Your Head record labels. Ballou has performed or recorded with Rabih Abou-Kahlil, Steely Dan, Michael Formanek, Mary Halvorson, Woody Herman, Andrew Hill, John Hollenbeck, Sheila Jordan, Oliver Lake, Dave Liebman, Dewey Redman, Maria Schneider and Gunther Schuller. His compositions have been performed and recorded by the Meridian Arts Ensemble, Trumpeter Jon Nelson, French hornist Adam Unsworth, Saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, the TILT Brass Ensemble and the Rose City Brass Quintet. Ballou is a Professor of Music at Towson University teaching in the Jazz and Commercial Music Division.
Pianist/Composer/Educator Angelica Sanchez moved to New York from Arizona in 1994. Since moving to the East Coast Sanchez has collaborated with such notable artists as Wadada Leo Smith, Paul Motian, Richard Davis, Jamaladeen Tacuma, Nicole Mitchell, Rob Mazurek, Tim Berne, Mario Pavone, Ben Monder amongst others. Sanchez leads numerous groups, the most recent being her Trio which features Michael Formanek and Billy Hart. Her music has been recognized in national and international publications including Jazz Times, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune amongst others. She was also the 2008 recipient of a French/American Chamber Music America grant, the 2011 Rockefeller Brothers Pocantico artist residency, and the 2021 Civitella Fellowship, Italy.
