“I think that free jazz is a real reflection of the times and everything that’s going on,” declares Chicago based trumpeter Jaimie Branch in The Wire 429, “and that it is a form of protest because it is a fire you have to put out.”

The bandleader and composer is about to release the sequel to her 2017 debut album Fly Or Die. The follow-up, Fly Or Die II: Bird Dogs Of Paradise was created in the recording studios of East London's Total Refreshment Centre, and during Branch's residency at Cafe Oto. The trumpeter used this opportunity to transmit a clear political message, taking on the role of vocalist for the first time. “So much beauty lies in the abstract of instrumental music,” says Branch in the album’s liner notes, “but being this ain’t a particularly beautiful time, I’ve chosen a more literal path. The voice is good for that.”

Fly Or Die II is released by International Anthem on 11 October. Read Branch's Invisible Jukebox interview in The Wire 429, subscribers can read the full article via the digital archive.