jaimie branch - Fly or Die II

Roughly a year before its release, and following the success of her debut Fly or Die album, branch whisked her incredible quartet across Europe for a string of performances in November 2018. Across that tour, the group stretched a songbook in-process to its limit, improvising en modo deconstructivo, tugging at the music’s edges and relentlessly morphing the sound of a four-fold liberation machine that included branch (trumpet), Chad Taylor (drums), Jason Ajemian (bass), and newcomer Lester St. Louis (cello), who had recently replaced Tomeka Reid.

The continued rise of branch’s star coincided with an increasingly deep connection to International Anthem as the label formed tighter and tighter bonds with friends across the pond, particularly in London, where most of bird dogs of paradise was recorded – in studio at Total Refreshment Centre over three days, and live at Café OTO over two nights that same week – at the tail end of that November 2018 tour. The album itself captures a very significant moment in the arc of the band. St. Louis’s presence had provided a fresh injection of virtuosic curiosity, and the interplay between him and Ajemian rejiggered the crew’s string-driven multi-rhythmic plonk swing while also refreshing their alternately aggressive and melodious heavy-bite bowing within an ever-expanding pocket. It was a highly fertile foundation for branch to experiment and explore, reach for the nether regions of her instrument, and continue to focus and refine her flagship ensemble into a wholly original sound.