Music Monday: jaimie branch and Brandon Sanders

It’s been a good weekend for new music. 

A new album from the late jaimie branch is a bitter-sweet reminder of her tremendous talent and unique approach to improvised music: Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)).  The two tracks on the album that have captures my attention the most are her cover of the Meat Puppets “Comin’ Down” which she calls “The Mountain” (and is sung by bassist Jason Ajemian): 

And a New Orleans tinged track called “Baba Louie” 

I like to imagine that the former is the final track on side-A and the latter the first on side-B. The latter showcases some of branch’s trumpet work and embodies the jubilant side of her sound (although the breakdown at the end, which evokes the murky, sluggish, and reverberative sound of Houston hiphop reminds us that she was very much attuned to the contemporary scene).

The other new album making its way into my rotation is the debut from Brandon Sanders called Compton’s Finest.  It’s straight ahead jazz and features mostly standards, but played with some real enthusiasm and joy. I only know Warren Wolf on vibes from his work with Christian McBride, but I really enjoyed what he added to Compton’s Finest. Chris Lewis on saxophone and Keith Brown on piano played like a cohesive group. The addition of Jazzmeia Horn on a number of the tracks only added to the charm of this album. 

Check out their performance of “Body and Soul”:

And Jazzmeia Horn on Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood”: