Jane Ira Bloom

Jane Ira Bloom is a jazz soprano saxophonist and composer. Before settling on the soprano saxophone, she played the piano, drums and alto saxophone.

She has released albums through multiple labels, including Outline (her label), Enja, Columbia and Arabesque. Her most recent albums are Mental Weather, Like Silver Like Song and Chasing Paint.

She is well-known for her use of electronics during live shows, which involves using a foot pedal to alter the sound of her saxophone.

She has led musicians Kenny Wheeler, Charlie Haden, Bobby Previte and Julian Priester in various bands. Some of her most notable collaborations include Bob Brookmeyer, Jay Clayton and Fred Hersch.

She is currently involved with a collaborative world music group called Atlantic/Pacific Waves. The group is made up of Chinese pipa player Min Xiao-Fen, Korean komungo player Jin Hi Kim, and jazz bassist Mark Dresser.

Fast Facts:

1. Full Name: Jane Ira Bloom
2. Born: January 12, 1955
3. Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
4. Years Active: 1982-Present
5. Record Label: Outline Records
6. Parents: Joel Warren and Evelyn Kerner Bloom
7. Began playing music at age 12
8. Education: Yale University (Master's in Music)
9. Also studied privately at Berklee College of Music
10. Awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Award in 2007
11. Cited by Time magazine in its special Women: The Road Ahead issue
12. First musician ever commissioned by the NASA Art Program
13. The asteroid 6083 Janeirabloom was named after her
14. Married to actor Joe Grifasi

Jane Ira Bloom Quotes:

1. "Sometimes I throw sound around the band like paint and other times I play and feel as if I was carving silence like a sculptor."—Jane Ira Bloom
2. "As an improviser she's not stunningly original, but the whole of her music is greater than the sum of its parts; overall her music bears the stamp of an individual thinker."—Chris Kelsey

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