Jaimie Branch is performing in Lexington this Saturday, so now all you have to do is figure out your Friday plans

 

It would be a pretty good idea to be in Lexington, KY on Saturday night.  Jaimie Branch is gonna be in town for a January 27th show at the Farish Theater.  This’ll get framed as a jazz show.  I get that.  Branch released one of the best albums to hit the scene in 2017.  Fly or Die was tagged as a jazz recording, because where else are you going to slot wildly creative and innovative sounds that are mostly instrumental and highly improvisational and don’t quite fit anywhere else?  Besides, the trumpeter is of the tradition… she’s certainly cemented her jazz rep on Chicago’s deep music scene, and, now, as an ex-pat in NYC.  The point is, this is outstanding stuff, and it’s a great opportunity to catch some tunes that don’t normally float through Kentucky.

Joining Branch, her trumpet and her sonic pyrotechnics is percussionist Jason Nazary.  As a duo, they’re Anteloper.  What little I’ve heard of this duo doesn’t sound that far removed from Branch’s Fly or Die recording.  At least, not in spirit.  As a bonus, Josh Berman is also showing up to do a solo cornet thing.

This is the 15-year anniversary, and Event #200, of Ross Compton’s Outside the Spotlight series.  Ross is one of those local music scene heroes who devotes a ton of sweatwork bringing great music to his community.  There have been a ridiculous wealth of talent from the experimental and jazz pool that has performed in Lexington because of Ross’s efforts.  And most of those shows, like this one, is free to the public.

The shows happens this Saturday, January 27th.  Doors open at 6:30pm, show starts at 7pm.

Here’s a track off Branch’s excellent 2017 release Fly or Die.  We have no way of knowing what any one live show will ultimately sound like, but here’s a sense of what’s what:

You can listen to the whole album, and purchase it, on her Bandcamp page.

Also, a reminder that Fly or Die earned the #2 slot for Album of the Year on this site’s Best of 2017 list.

The show details:

When:  Saturday, January 27th, 2018 at 7:00pm

Where:  Farish Theater at the Lexington Public Library.  140 East Main St., Lexington, KY.

It’s a free show.

The Farish Theatre’s site-> LINK

The artist’s site-> LINK

Here’s a video from a show last August in Brooklyn featuring the Anteloper duo…