Lindsay Cooper
b. March 1951, London, England. Multi-instrumentalist Cooper studied at Dartington College and the Royal Academy Of Music, becoming proficient on bassoon, sopranino and alto saxophones, oboe, flute, piano and accordion, though in recent years she concentrated almost exclusively on the first three of these instruments. After working briefly as a classical bassoonist, she turned her attention to theatre, pop and improvised musics. From 1974-78 she was a member of experimental rock group Henry Cow; in 1977 she co-founded the Feminist Improvising Group, its name indicating the primary concern of much of her subsequent work, notably in projects with other FIG and EWIG (European Women's Improvising Group) artists such as Maggie Nicols, Anna Marie Roelofs, Joëlle Léandreand Irène Schweizer. In the early '80s she was a regular performer on the European jazz scene, playing on various Mike Westbrookprojects ( THE CORTEGE, WESTBROOK-ROSSINI) and joining the Maarten Altena Octet ( TEL). She also kept a foot in the rock camp, recording with David Thomas's Pedestrians ( WINTER COMES HOME, MORE PLACES FOR EVER) and as part of the group News From Babel (with Chris Cutler), Dagmar Krause and Zeena Parkins). A talented composer, her own RAGS, THE GOLD DIGGERS and MUSIC FOR OTHER OCCASIONS comprised pieces she had written for various film, television and theatre projects, often in association with singer/director Sally Potter. In 1989 Cooper's song-cycle OH MOSCOWwas recorded live at Canada's Victoriaville Festival; 1991 saw the release of both the classically-oriented AN ANGEL ON THE BRIDGEand a collection of contemporary dance pieces, SCHRODINGER'S CAT. In 1992 her Concerto For Sopranino Saxophone And Strings was premiered in London by the European Women's Orchestra, and her new Songs For Bassoon And Orchestra was presented in Bologna. The same year, her chamber pieces The Road Is Wider Than Long was included on Lontrano's BRITISH WOMEN COMPOSERS VOLUME 1, and the long jazz vocal composition SAHARA DUST(lyrics by Robyn Archer) was released, reaffirming her rare gift of versatility across so many musical genres.