Lindsay Cooper facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lindsay Cooper
With the Mike Westbrook Orchestra for The Cortège (1982)
Background information
Born	(1951-03-03)3 March 1951 Hornsey, North London, England
Died	18 September 2013(2013-09-18) (aged 62) London, England
Genres	Avant-rock experimental free improvisation contemporary classical
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instruments	Bassoon, oboe
Years active	1971–1998
Labels	Recommended, Victo
Associated acts	Henry Cow, Comus, Feminist Improvising Group, News from Babel, David Thomas

Lindsay Cooper (born March 3, 1951 – died September 18, 2013) was a talented English musician and composer. She played the bassoon and oboe. Lindsay was most famous for her work with the band Henry Cow. She was also part of other groups like Comus and News from Babel.

Lindsay worked with many other artists, including Chris Cutler and Sally Potter. She also helped start the Feminist Improvising Group. She wrote music for movies and TV shows. One of her most famous works was a song collection called Oh Moscow. This was performed live around the world in 1987. She also released her own albums, such as Rags (1980) and The Gold Diggers (1983).

Lindsay Cooper was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the late 1970s. This illness affects the brain and spinal cord. She kept her illness private for a long time. In the late 1990s, her health made it impossible for her to perform live. Lindsay passed away from the illness in September 2013, at the age of 62.

About Lindsay Cooper's Life

Her Early Musical Journey

Lindsay Cooper was born in Hornsey, a part of North London. She started learning piano when she was 11 years old. A few years later, she switched to playing the bassoon. From 1965 to 1968, she studied classical music. She learned the bassoon at the Dartington College of Arts and the Royal College of Music.

Lindsay played in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. She also became a member of the Royal Academy of Music in London. In the late 1960s, she lived in New York City for a year. There, she explored music outside of classical styles.

When Lindsay returned to the UK in 1971, she left classical music behind. She joined the progressive rock band Comus. Even though she was only with them for a year, it changed her view on music. She began playing the oboe and flute too. She also started working as a session musician for other artists. For example, she played on Mike Oldfield's album Hergest Ridge (1974). While working on a theater project, Lindsay met Henry Cow. This avant-rock group would help her become famous worldwide.

Her Time with Henry Cow

In late 1973, the band Henry Cow asked Lindsay to join them. They needed someone to replace their sax and flute player. Her classical training was interesting to the group. They were always looking for new musical ideas. Even after having all four wisdom teeth removed, she joined the band in the studio. She helped record their second album, Unrest (1974).

After a tour, the band changed their lineup and asked Lindsay to leave. But she still played as a guest on their albums. In February 1975, she rejoined the group. She remained a full member until they broke up in 1978.

By 1977, Lindsay became one of Henry Cow's main composers. She wrote many songs for them. She contributed half of their last album, Western Culture (1978). Being in the group allowed her to try new things in music. She also started playing soprano saxophone and piano. She began exploring how to improvise music. Henry Cow toured a lot in Europe. This helped Lindsay experience many different music styles and meet musicians. All of this helped her music career grow.

Other Music Projects

Lindsay's work with Henry Cow made musicians from all over the world notice her. She had many chances to perform and record. In late 1977, Lindsay helped start the Feminist Improvising Group. She formed it with Sally Potter, Maggie Nichols, Georgie Born, and Irène Schweizer. This was an international group of women who improvised music. They toured Europe off and on from 1977 to 1982.

She also stayed connected to the Canterbury music scene. She briefly rejoined Comus and played on their second album. She recorded with Steve Hillage. She also contributed to Hatfield and the North's The Rotters' Club (1975) album.

After Henry Cow, Lindsay joined National Health. She left soon after when another member, Dave Stewart, departed. In 1980, she recorded her first solo album, Rags. This album was a collection of songs about sweatshops in Victorian England. She worked with former Henry Cow members Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, and Georgie Born.

In 1982, Lindsay Cooper started her own group. It was called The Lindsay Cooper Film Music Orchestra. With this group, she wrote and performed music for movies and TV. This included the soundtrack for Sally Potter's first feature film, The Gold Diggers (1983).

During the 1980s, she toured the United States with David Thomas. She also played in various bands led by jazz composer Mike Westbrook. In 1983, Lindsay worked with Chris Cutler to form the avant-rock group News from Babel. She composed all the music for their two albums, Work Resumed on the Tower (1984) and Letters Home (1986).

Oh Moscow CD cover (1991)

Lindsay Cooper's most famous work is her 1987 song collection Oh Moscow. This was another project with Sally Potter. Lindsay wrote the music, and Potter wrote the song lyrics. It was first performed at the Zurich Jazz Festival that year. Later, it was performed in Europe, North America, and Moscow. The songs were about the challenges of a divided Europe during the Cold War. The Berlin Wall came down shortly after the work was first performed. Oh Moscow was recorded in October 1989. It was released on a CD in 1991.

In 1990, Lindsay spent a few months in Australia. She gave solo performances on bassoon, saxophone, and electronics. She also worked with Australian artist Robyn Archer. Lindsay arranged and composed music for Archer's play Cafe Fledermaus. She also worked on Sahara Dust, a large jazz vocal piece. Sahara Dust was released on CD in 1993. It reflected on the 1990–91 Gulf War and its effects on the world.

Later that year, she worked in John Wolf Brennan's "Creative Works Orchestra." She performed at the Willisau Jazz Festival. She returned to Switzerland in 1991. There, she performed in Brennan's "SinFONietta" at the Lucerne Festival.

In 1991, Cooper released two collections of her dance music. These were Schrödinger's Cat and An Angel on the Bridge. In 1992, she performed her own piece, "Concerto for Sopranino Saxophone and Strings." This was at the British Conservatory in London. She also wrote and performed "Songs for Bassoon and Orchestra" with the Bologna Opera House Orchestra in Italy in 1992. She composed "Face in a Crowd" and "Can of Worms" for the Rova Saxophone Quartet in San Francisco.

Her Illness and Passing

Lindsay Cooper found out she had multiple sclerosis when she was still with Henry Cow. She kept this private from the music community. She continued to perform until the late 1990s. At that point, her illness made it impossible for her to play live. Even so, Lindsay remained a very respected and important person in the music world. Her works are still performed and taught globally. Lindsay passed away from the illness on September 18, 2013, at age 62. A statement from Chris Cutler mentioned that she also had pneumonia.

Her Lasting Legacy

In June 2014, it was announced that Henry Cow and other groups would reunite. They would play Lindsay Cooper's music at two concerts. These concerts were held in London and Huddersfield in November 2014. A third concert was held in Forlì, Italy. These events were a way to remember Lindsay. A review of the London concert called it "a fitting salute to Cooper's life." It noted the passion and commitment from everyone on stage.

In November 2014, ReR Megacorp released a double CD. It was called Lindsay Cooper: Rarities | Volumes 1 & 2. This collection included music that had not been released before.

Bassist Nasuno Mitsuru preparing before a performance by the band Half the Sky in London (2017).

In 2015, a new band called Half the Sky was formed. It was created by Yumi Hara and Lindsay's former Henry Cow bandmate Chris Cutler. The band plays Lindsay's music, especially pieces from News from Babel and Henry Cow. Half the Sky has performed in Japan, France, the UK, and Germany.

Lindsay Cooper's Music Albums

Solo Albums

• Rags (1981, LP, Arc Records, UK)
• The Golddiggers (1983, LP, Recommended Records, UK) – This was the original music for the film The Gold Diggers by Sally Potter.
• Music for Other Occasions (1986, LP, No Man's Land, Germany)
• Oh Moscow (1991, CD, Victo Records, Canada)
• An Angel on the Bridge (1991, CD, Phonogram/Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia)
• Schroedinger's Cat (1991, CD, Line/Femme Music, Germany)
• Sahara Dust (1993, CD, Intakt Records, Switzerland)
• A View from the Bridge (1998, 2xCD, Impetus Records, UK)

Collections of Her Music

• Rags / The Golddiggers (1991, CD, ReR Megacorp, UK) – This album includes Rags and most of The Golddiggers.
• Rarities Volumes 1 & 2 (2014, 2xCD, Recommended Records, UK) – This was released after her death. It's a collection of rare and unreleased songs.

Albums with Bands and Other Musicians

With Mike Oldfield

• Hergest Ridge (1974, LP, Virgin Records, UK)

With Egg

• The Civil Surface (1974, LP, Caroline Records, UK)

With Henry Cow

• Unrest (1974, LP, Virgin Records, UK)
• Concerts (1976, 2xLP, Caroline Records, UK)
• Western Culture (1979, LP, Broadcast, UK)
• The Virgin Years – Souvenir Box (1991, 3xCD, East Side Digital Records, US)
• Henry Cow Box (2006, 7xCD, Recommended Records, UK)
• Stockholm & Göteborg (2008, CD, Recommended Records, UK)
• The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set (2009, 9xCD+DVD, Recommended Records, UK)
• The Henry Cow Box Redux: The Complete Henry Cow (2019, 17xCD+DVD, Recommended Records, UK)

With Slapp Happy/Henry Cow

• Desperate Straights (1975, LP, Virgin Records, UK)
• In Praise of Learning (1975, LP, Virgin Records, UK)

With Comus

• To Keep from Crying (1974, LP, Virgin Records, UK) – Lindsay was a guest on this album after she left the group.
• Out of the Coma (2012, CD, Coptic Cat, UK) – This album features Lindsay's earliest known recording from 1972.

With Steve Hillage

• Fish Rising (1975, LP, Virgin Records, UK)

With Hatfield and the North

• The Rotters' Club (1975, LP, Virgin Records, UK)

With Art Bears

• Hopes and Fears (1978, LP, Recommended Records, UK)

With Feminist Improvising Group

• Feminist Improvising Group (1979, Cassette, UK)

With Mike Westbrook

• The Cortège (Original Records, 1982)
• Westbrook-Rossini (hat ART, 1987)
• Westbrook-Rossini, Zürich Live 1986 (hat ART, 1986 [1994])

With Chris Cutler, Bill Gilonis, Tim Hodgkinson and Robert Wyatt

• The Last Nightingale (1984, LP, Recommended Records, UK)

With News from Babel

• Work Resumed on the Tower (1984, LP, Recommended Records, UK)
• Letters Home (1986, LP, Recommended Records, UK)

With David Thomas and the Pedestrians

• Winter Comes Home (1983, LP, Recommended Records, UK)
• Variations on a Theme (1983, LP, Rough Trade Records, UK)
• More Places Forever (1985, LP, Rough Trade Records, UK)

With Maggie Nicols and Joëlle Léandre

• Live at the Bastille (1982) (1984, LP, Recommended Records, UK)

With Catherine Jauniaux and Tim Hodgkinson

• Fluvial (1984, LP, Woof Records, UK)

With Dagmar Krause

• Tank Battles: The Songs of Hanns Eisler (1988, LP, Island Records, UK)
• Panzerschlacht: Die Lieder von Hanns Eisler (1988, LP, Island Records, UK)

With Anthony Phillips and Harry Williamson

• Tarka (1988, CD, Baillemont Records, France)

With John Wolf Brennan

• Creative Works Orchestra: Live in Willisau & More (1991, CD, Creative Works Records, Switzerland)
• I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S.: Sources Along the Songlines (2005, CD, Creative Works Records, Switzerland)

With David Motion and Sally Potter

• Orlando (1993, CD, Varèse Sarabande, US) – This was the original music for the film Orlando by Sally Potter.

With Trio Trabant a Roma

• State of Volgograd (1994, CD, Free Music Production, Germany)

With Tim Hodgkinson

• Each in Our Own Thoughts (1994, CD, Woof Records, UK)

With Charles Gray

• Pia Mater (1997, CD, Resurgence, UK)

With Rova Saxophone Quartet

• Bingo (1998, CD, Victo Records, Canada) – Lindsay was the composer for this album.

With The Orckestra

• "Unreleased Orckestra Extract" (3" CD single, 2006, Recommended Records, UK)

With Fred Frith, Lars Hollmer and Gianni Gebbia

• Angels on the Edge of Time (2015, CD, I Dischi di Angelica, Italy) – This was recorded at the 1992 Angelica Festival.

See also

In Spanish: Lindsay Cooper para niños