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Thread: Lindsay Cooper Songbook 2019

  1. #1

    Lindsay Cooper Songbook 2019

    I saw the Lindsay Cooper Songbook on their (very) short European tour last night at Cafe Oto, celebrating international women's day by playing Cooper's music. A great evening, broadly similar to their last time at Cafe Oto, but with a somewhat different line-up. Returning from last time were Yumi Hara (piano, synth, lever harp, vocals), Chloe Herington (bassoon, soprano sax, melodica, percussion, backing vocals), Chris Cutler (drums) and Tim Hodgkinson (alto sax, clarinet, percussion), with new this time Mitsuru Nasuno (bass) and Atsuko Kamura (lead vocals, percussion).

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    The evening began with The Watts, which is Hara (keys, vocals), Cutler (drums) and Hodgkinson (lap steel, knick-knacks) playing a heavily improvised set. Very out there, but at times anchored by Hara's vocals, and I think that contrast between voice and Cutler/Hodgkinson going mad is when the band is at its best. We then had three solo performances. Nasuno played a hypnotic piece using live looping. Herington then did her song about corporate sin, as last time -- great piece.

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    Finally, the first set finished with an amazing vocal solo from Kamura, again using live looping. The photo shows her being introduced by Yumi.

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    The second set was the Lindsay Cooper Songbook doing News from Babel pieces: "Auschwitz/Babel", "Dry Leaf", "Black Gold", "Devils", "Banknote", "Waited/Justice". Kamura, filling in for Dagmar Krause, who was unable to attend for health reasons, made a tentative start on "Auschwitz/Babel", but then warmed up. I particularly enjoyed "Banknote" and some great vocal improv at the end of "Waited/Justice".

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    The third set was largely instrumental, with Henry Cow material ("Half the Sky", "Look Back", "Gretel's Tale", "Falling Away", "Slice", not necessarily in that order) and two pieces from Music for Films ("The Empire Song", "Iceland", again not necessarily in that order). Stand outs for me were a contemplative "Iceland" and an exciting "Gretel's Tale". The set then ended with Kamura returning for "Anno Mirabilis", which Hara always wants the audience to sing along too and we never do!

    I picked up a copy of Valve's #2 [Cycles], Herington's band's recent EP. Recommended.

    Henry
    Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
    Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/

  2. #2
    Thanks Henry for the review!
    Having seen this project (or variations of it) 4 times but never in Cafe Oto, I am pretty envious

  3. #3
    Lucky bastids ! . It pains me to have not seen any of this stuff, in the flesh. Thanks for posting the photos.

  4. #4
    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    Listening to Rags for the first time in a whike. Fucking hell this is amazing! First off, the sonics are audiophile quality. The mix and mastering is pristine. The music is exquisite. No idea what the hell is going on, but it doesn't matter. The bassoon sounds so damn good. I love finding stuff I have that's amazing but it flew over and under me radar. The Golddiggers next of course.

  5. #5
    Frankie
    Her absolute gem is Music For other Occasions
    Followed closely by News From Babel

  6. #6
    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    I own News From Babel, I don't think I have Occasions. I really dig Babel as well, but Rags hit me hard yesterday.

  7. #7
    Frankie do not miss Music for other Occasions

  8. #8
    Member Kcrimso's Avatar
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    Sahara Dust is currently my favourite Lindsay Cooper album.
    My progressive music site: https://pienemmatpurot.com/ Reviews in English: https://pienemmatpurot.com/in-english/

  9. #9
    Member Munster's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Udi Koomran View Post
    Frankie do not miss Music for other Occasions
    This thread prompted me to dig a bit deeper into Lindsay Cooper’s recordings and there is some amazing stuff there. Yes, “Music for Other Occasions” is great and, if you like that, there are “Rags/Gold Diggers” and the double CD “Rarities”. Volume 1 of “Rarities” (‘assembled and premastered’ by Udi Koomran) is very much in the vein of “Music for Other Occasions”. There are 30 tracks on the first CD, which suggests it could be scrappy, but Udi has done an excellent job in making the tracks flow and the whole CD plays as if it is one extended piece. Volume 2 (compiled by Chris Cutler) has some interesting longer tracks and, again, is superb.

    I also bought Cooper’s “A View from the Bridge”, another two-CD set with much longer songs that she wrote (but does not always play on). Included on the album, for example, is the 30-minute ‘Concerto For Sopranino Saxophone & Strings’, with the Orchestra Del Teatro Comunale Di Bologna and Cooper on sopranino sax. This CD also has the whole of "An Angel on the Bridge". All tracks are excellent, but my favourite is ‘Nightmare’, a six-minute song recorded for a multi-composer project called “Sarajevo (Suite)”.



    This version of ‘Nightmare’ is not the one on “A View from the Bridge” CD but is just as good (and a lot longer).
    We walked arm in arm with madness, and every little breeze whispered of the secret love we had for our disease

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