Jane Ira Bloom: Jazz Chose Me
Most of the music that Bloom composed was influenced by her personal experiences of what was going on while she was writing it. This is clear in her music that she wrote while working with NASA, and also her composition that was NFL themed. While Bloom had an appreciation for the classics; she played the classical compositions with her own twist and she added to the piece. She was an innovator in the industry because she worked to combine new sounds with electronic sounds to create different and creative new style of jazz music. One of the things she loved about Jazz was the freedom to express yourself and make music that is meaningful to you. In that same vain, she believed that music was sacred and that an album should tell a story. The songs that an artist puts out there should be very carefully selected because it must be special, which speaks to the old adage, quality over quantity.
Bloom is an incredibly accomplished woman who has performed at the Kennedy Space Center, Carnegie Hall, the MoMa, and the Einstein Planetarium among many other venues. She has composed music for NASA, films, television shows, and a dance company named Pilobolus. NASA even named an asteroid after her! She has also won a slew of awards such as: 2011 Soprano Saxophone of the Year Award from the Jazz Journalists Association, 2007 Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz award, Doris Duke/ Chamber Music America Jazz Composition Award 2001, and the Jazz Journalists Association 2006 soprano sax of the year award. She currently lives in NY where she believes that she belongs musically, and continues to perform and compose music.