Lindsay Cooper

Rags (ReR, 1981), featuring Sally Potter (vocals), Fred Frith and Chris Cutler, revelead her accessible musical structures, and her warm, humble approach to songwriting.

Il suo primo importante lavoro e` la soundtrack di un film femminista (Lol Coxhill al sax, Dave Holland al piano), Gold Diggers (SyncPulse, 1983). Seeing Red - Iceland - Celeste's Room - Banker's Song - Celeste's Dream - The Ballroom - The Empire Song - Melodrama - Perfect Clue - Ruby's Gold - Dawn Skyline - Horse Waltz Poi suona i fiati nell'orchestra jazz di Mike Westbrook, e si offre come session-woman per decine di dischi d'avanguardia.

Cooper ha composto temi per film e per spettacoli performance, raccolti su Music For The Small Screen (Sync Pulse, 1984) e Music For Other Occasions (1986).

Con Chris Cutler (percussioni), Dagmar Krause (canto) e Zeena Parkins (arpa, fisarmonica) forma i News From Babel, dei quali compone le musiche. Work Resumed On The Tower (ReR, 1984), loro capolavoro, e` un affresco spaventoso dell'alienazione e della paranoia moderne attraverso tre lunghi incubi: Arcades, Victory, Anno Mirabilis.

La versione su CD contiene anche i sei "lieder" di Sirens and Silences (ReR, 1984): Odysseus, Auschwitz/Babel, Klein's Bottle, Black Gold, Devils, Dry Leaf.

Letters Home (Re, 1986) sono nove poesie di Cutler musicate da Cooper e cantate da Krause, Robert Wyatt e altri.

I News from Babel sono forse gli eredi piu` estrosi del rock creativo degli Art Bears. Tracks: Odysseus, Auschwitz/Babel, Klein's Bottle, Black Gold, Devils, Dry Leaf, Arcades (of Glass), Victory, Anno Mirabilis
Tracks: Who Will Accuse?, Heart Of Stone, Banknote, Moss, Dragon At The Core, Dark Matter, Waited, Fast Food, Late Evening

Her solo career reached another peak with Oh Moscow (Victo, 1991), a 1987 opera that boasts a series of acrobatic vocal performances by Sally Potter and Phil Minton. The theme (the suffering caused by the Cold War and the Berlin Wall) is not particularly interesting, but the music is always challenging and inviting.

In the same prolific year she also released the song cycles An Angel On The Bridge (ABC, 1991) and Schroedinger's Cat (Femme Music, 1991).

Sahara Dust (Intakt, 1993) is another opera (Phil Minton again on vocals), structured in five parts, that musically belongs to jazz more than rock.

Pia Mater (Resurgence, 1998) is a lengthy solo improvisation, altered via a computer by Charles Gray.

A View From The Bridge (Impetus, 1999) is a 2-CD compilation of Cooper's work, including the entire An Angel On The Bridge (1991), the Concerto For Sopranino Saxophone And Strings (1992) and the Songs For Bassoon And Orchestra (1993).

The live Angels On The Edge Of Time (may 1992) featured Lindsay Cooper on soprano sax & bassoon, Fred Frith on guitar, violin & radio, Gianni Gebbia on alto & soprano sax & bird calls, and Lars Hollmer on accordion, melodica & keyboard.

La sua carriera solista culmino' di nuovo con Oh Moscow (Victo, 1991), opera del 1987 con una serie di acrobatiche performance vocali di Sally Potter e Phil Minton. Il tema (le sofferenze causate da guerra fredda e muro di Berlino) non e' molto interessante, ma la musica e' sempre trascinante e stimolante. Nello stesso prolifico anno pubblico' pure i canzonieri An Angel On The Bridge (ABC, 1991) e Schroedinger's Cat (Femme Music, 1991). Sahara Dust (Intakt, 1993) e' una nuova opera (ancora con il vocalist Phil Minton), in cinque parti, musicalmente piu' jazz che rock. Pia Mater (Resurgence, 1998) e' una lunga improvvisazione solista, modificata al computer da Charles Gray. A View From The Bridge (Impetus, 1999) e' una compilation di 2 CD dell'opera di Cooper, con l'intera An Angel On The Bridge (1991), the Concerto For Sopranino Saxophone And Strings (1992) e Songs For Bassoon And Orchestra (1993).

Cooper died in 2013 at the age of 62.

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