Dear all,
yesterday Lindsay Cooper died after many, many years of suffering from multiple sclerosis. It is a very sad day for yours truly and, I believe, for many of us who grew up listening to her wonderful music, from the Henry Cow days to the last compositions she wrote, not to mention the innumerable collaborations.
And she was so beautiful. What a shame. Rest in peace.
Massimo Ricci
Lindsay Cooper (born 3 March 1951) is an English bassoon and oboe player, composer and political activist. Best known for her work with the band Henry Cow, she was also a member of Comus, National Health, News from Babel and David Thomas and the Pedestrians. She has collaborated with a number of musicians, including Chris Cutler and Sally Potter, and co-founded the Feminist Improvising Group. She has written scores for film and TV and a song cycle Oh Moscow which was performed live around the world in 1987. She has also recorded a number of solo albums, including Rags (1980), The Gold Diggers (1983) and Music For Other Occasions (1986).
Cooper was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the late 1970s, but did not disclose it to the musical community until the late 1990s when her illness prevented her from performing live.