Lindsay Cooper (1951 to 2013) was an English rock and jazz bassoonist and oboist.   5

rest_in_peace 26 Sep 2013

"The musician Lindsay Cooper, who has died aged 62 of complications from multiple sclerosis, was once concerned that an ensemble specialising in conventional opera would not be able to play one of her technically challenging compositions. Its conductor, a former biologist, advised her to think of the bee: aerodynamically, it should not be able to fly, but oblivious to this theoretical limitation, it does so nonetheless. Similarly, if left unaware that they were not designed for such cutting-edge work, the musicians would probably come up with the desired result anyway. Much the same principle operated more widely in Cooper's imaginative, spirited, humorous and courageous approach to life. She simply chose not to notice that a bassoonist, trained classically in the 1960s, was not supposed to play art-rock, free-improv, 1930s cabaret music or Cool School jazz – or for that matter, that the spirit of a multiple sclerosis sufferer might be assumed to wilt under the condition's advance." http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/sep/24/lindsay-cooper

RIP 25 Sep 2013

Saw Henry Cow at the London Jazz Festival last night!   2

freakanth 22 Nov 2014