The fiery, free-spirited trumpeter came to New York from Chicago, where she had been blending avant-jazz and punk for nearly a decade. Her 2017 debut album Fly or Die garnered immediate attention, making her an in-demand figure on the Brooklyn-based improvisers scene. Mentored by trumpeter John McNeil while attending a jazz summer camp in Boulder, Colo., Branch relocated to Boston to study at the New England Conservatory, where McNeil was on the faculty. She returned to Chicago and immersed herself in the Windy City’s free jazz legacy by diving into AACM recordings by the likes of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Muhal Richard Abrams and the scene surrounding legendary saxophonist Fred Anderson at the Velvet Lounge. She later fell in with an avant-jazz crowd that included tenor saxophonists Ken Vandermark and rising star players like cornetist Josh Berman, vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, saxophonist Keefe Jackson and drummer Frank Rosaly. Following a stint at Towson University in Baltimore, where she studied with trumpeter Dave Ballou, Branch made her move to New York City in 2015 and quickly hooked up with like-minded members of Brooklyn’s underground scene. Following the release of Fly Or Die, she was was featured in the horn section of Harriet Tubman’s recreation of the Ornette Coleman opus Free Jazz at the 2018 Winter Jazz Fest. Stay tuned to see where this audacious new trumpet star will fly next. (Photo by Peter Gannushkin)