This Saturday sees another London performance from the evolving musical project known as Lindsay Cooper Songbook. Is it a project, or a celebration, or a tribute? Probably all three, anyway, they were brilliant last time, the core of the performers who will appeat this time appeared under the name Half The Sky last time, and what a treat it was. The Saturday evening at London’s Cafe Oto then, Lindsay Cooper Songbook featuring CHRIS CUTLER / JOHN GREAVES / YUMI HARA / CHLÖE HERINGTON / TIM HODGKINSON / DAGMAR KRAUSE) + THE WATTS + John Greaves (solo) + Chlöe Herington (solo) + Marina Organ (DJ), this Saturday June 16th,

There’s an Organ review of the previous Half The Sky gig here –  ORGAN THING: Half The Sky’s joyous performances of Lindsay Cooper’s music at Cafe Oto…

More details of this Saturday’s gig at Cafe Oto

THE PROGRAMME WILL FEATURE:
A selection of Lindsay’s compositions for the groups Henry Cow, News From Babel and Music for Films, 1978 – 1982.

CURRENT ENSEMBLE:
– Yumi Hara / arrangements, piano, keyboards, lever harp, voice (The Artaud Beats, you me & us, Jump for Joy! etc)
– Chlöe Herington / bassoon, soprano sax, melodica (Knifeworld, Chrome Hoof, VÄLVĒ)
– Dagmar Krause / voice (Henry Cow, News from Babel, Slapp Happy etc)
– Tim Hodgkinson / clarinet, alto sax, lap steel guitar (Henry Cow, The Work, K-Space etc)
– John Greaves / bass, keyboard, voice (Henry Cow, Mike Mantler, National Heath, etc)
– Chris Cutler / drums (Henry Cow, News from Babel, Pere Ubu etc)

ABOUT LINDSAY COOPER:
Lindsay Cooper (1951-2013) brought the bassoon and the compositional techniques of 20th century art music into the world of ‘70s experimental rock. She was a musical polyglot, equally fluent in classical, rock, jazz, and free improvisation and the author of many film and theatre soundtracks. She was a member of the groups Comus, Henry Cow, National Health, David Thomas and the Pedestrians and the Mike Westbrook Orchestra. She co-founded News from Babel and the Feminist Improvising Group and led her own projects Music for Films and Oh Moscow. She lived for many years with multiple sclerosis, which eventually forced her to retire from performing in the 1990s.

HISTORY:
Yumi Hara formed Half The Sky in 2015 to perform Lindsay Cooper’s songs in Japan. The original group was entirely Japanese, with the exception of original drummer and lyricist Chris Cutler. This group – with small personnel changes – was later invited to Europe, when it was joined by the songs’ original singer Dagmar Krause. For these new European concerts the line-up adds two more members of Henry Cow, for whom much of this material was written, and we call ourselves Lindsay Cooper Songbook. As was true of the original bands Henry Cow and News From Babel – the new line-up retains an equal gender split.

Catch Marina Organ’s Other Rock Show Resonance FM hour-long gig preview with guest Yumi Hara here