Lindsay Cooper

Born in 1951, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and political activist Lindsay Cooper has been a fixture on the new music scene in both Great Britain and Europe since she first appeared with Henry Cow in 1974. Regarded originally as part of the of the Canterbury Scene, a place and period in which prog rock and modern British jazz spawned groups such as Soft Machine, Henry Cow, Hatfield and the North, National Health, Matching Mole, and many others, Cooper's restlessness and talents soon far outstripped her geographical musical origins. Cooper began playing piano at age 11 in her native Hornsey, a suburb of North London and switched to bassoon a few years later. From 1965-1968 she played in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and studied classical music exclusively. She later became a member of the Royal Academy of Music in London and relocated to New York for one year. It was in the United States that she first encountered recording projects outside the realm of classical music, doing spot work for film soundtracks. Upon returning to the U.K., Cooper decided to leave classical music at the age of 20, and in 1971 joined a Canterbury band called Comus. Her stay in the band was brief (only a year), but it afforded her a look and listen to everything else that was happening at the time, and the experience changed her life. During this period she also began playing both oboe and flute. Cooper began doing session work for other musicians and more film work. She was one of the noted performers on Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells and Hergest Ridge albums in 1973 and 1974, respectively. During a theater project, Cooper first met the musicians in Henry Cow and after Geoff Leigh left the band, she replaced him in 1974. Cooper's musical restless was the perfect balance for...