Jaimie Branch - Trumpet
Marc Riordan --- Drums and Percussion
JoAnne Pow!ers --- Saxophones

Staples of Chicago---s improvised music scene, trumpeter Jaimie Branch and drummer Marc Riordan are making their first Madison appearance accompanied by local saxophonist JoAnne Pow!ers. Expect heavy use of extended instrumental techniques and complex interaction ranging from high-energy free jazz to subtle textures bordering on the inaudible.

About the Performers:

Jaimie Branch:
Trumpeter Jaimie Branch has been making waves on the Chicago improvised music scene since returning to her hometown in early 2006. She has performed with Axel Dorner, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Joe Morris, Tim Daisy and others. She completed her Bachelor of Music degree at the New England Conservatory of Music in 2005. She has toured and performed in this and other bands throughout the U.S.

Marc Riordan:
Drummer/pianist MARC RIORDAN (b. 1982) is a Boston-born jazz musician and improviser. He uses traditional instrumental approaches as well as extended techniques. Often appearing in collaborative settings, Marc's current projects include the Branch/Riordan/Sexton trio, Cornerback with Jason Stein and Toby Summerfield, and Marc Riordan's Phelt, with Jaimie Branch, Keefe Jackson, and Kevin Davis. He has also performed with legendary improvisers such as Steve Lacy, Joe Maneri, and Joe Morris.

In 2004, Marc co-founded the Music Workshop, a weekly event aimed at bringing together the various stylistic contingents in Boston's diverse music scene. He is now based in Chicago.

JoAnne Powers:
Free jazz outlaw JoAnne Powers plays frequently in the Madison Area both as a solo act and with her trio (The aptly-named JoAnne Powers Trio). Powers also makes occasional appearances in the [sometimes literally] underground music scenes of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Her frenetic saxophone abuse is often compared to that of Albert Ayler and Peter Broetzmann, with further influences from late-period John Coltrane and legendary Japanese free-improviser Kaoru Abe. With a tone that has been known to alternately peel the paint off of walls and lull angry babies to sleep, Powers is known for her marathon blowing sessions (occasionally long enough to draw blood), lightning-fast keywork, and heavy use of multiphonics and other extended techniques. While largely operating within the "Energy music" school of improvisation, Powers' music also incorporates elements of the music of the Middle East and India. In addition to her trio, Powers' collaborators have included extreme vocalist D.B. Pedersen, Chicago free percussionist Robert Cozzolino, free-jazz pianist Clay Ruby, turntable manipulator Endless, and the late multi-instrumentalist Lyx Ish.

Her most recent CD, "Conflicts of Interest" is available on the 23 Productions label.