Avant-garde trumpeter Jaimie Branch is a forward-thinking performer with a style steeped in free jazz and modern creative improvisation. Born on Long Island and raised in Wilmette, Illinois, Branch took piano lessons growing up before picking up the trumpet in elementary school. By her teens, she was studying improvisation and playing in her high school jazz band. She also started trying to get into local jazz shows at clubs like Lounge Ax and the Velvet Lounge. After high school, she earned her undergraduate music degree at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, stu...