Jaimie Branch, a New York-via-Chicago avant-garde jazz trumpeter who released music solo and collaboratively, has died. She was 39. The news was confirmed by the Chicago label International Anthem, who wrote on Twitter: “At 9:21 pm on Monday, August 22, composer and trumpeter jaimie branch passed away in her home in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Her family, friends and community are heart broken.”

They continue:

jaimie was a daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend and teacher; she touched countless numbers of people with her music and spirit, both of which are fearless, truthful and beautiful, and will live on in hearts and ears forever.

jaimie’s family asks not just for your thoughts and prayers but also for your action. Show your love and support for your family and friends and anyone who may be in need — just like jaimie did for all of us.

Originally from Huntington, New York, Branch started playing trumpet when she was nine. She attended the New England Conservatory Of Music and lived in Chicago until 2012 when she moved to Baltimore for a master’s degree in Jazz performance at Towson University. In 2015, Branch moved to New York, where she worked with cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Mike Pride, among others.

Over the course of her career, Branch performed solo, releasing three Fly Or Die projects in 2017, 2019, and 2021, and collaboratively, appearing on albums with Never Enough Hope, Local H, Atlas Moth, and Eli Winter’s just-released self-titled, which was our Album Of The Week.

Branch was also well known for her work in the duo Anteloper, which she performed in with drummer Jason Nazary. This past June, Anteloper released the record Pink Dolphins.