FEMINIST IErROVISIMG GROUP : BIOGRAPHICAL DERAILS Georgie B o m : Cello and bass guitar. Left music college to work with a rock group, and in 'avant garde' and experimental performances. Joined Henry Cow, toured Europe extensively for two years. Also played with National Health, I.O.U. theatre company, Derek Hailey's 'Company' improvisation group. Flays in trio with Steve Beresford and David Toop, duo with Lol Coxhill. Member of collective producing 'Musics' magazine, Recordings : Henry Cow 'Western Culture', Art Bears 'Hopes and Fears', National Health 'Of Queues and Cures'. Will record with Lindsay Cooper and Sally Potter later this year. Lindsay Cooper : Bassoon, oboe, soprano sax, flutes. Worked with Henry Cow from '74 - '78. Has worked with Company and other improvisation groups, also The Orchestra (with Hike Westbrook Brass Band and Frankie Armstrong), and with theatre groups (Tokyo Kid Brothers, Ritual Theatre, Lumiere and Son). Currently writing- a film score; has published articles on 'Rock and sexuality* and 'Music and feminism'. Recordings: All the Henry Cow records except the first, Art Bears 'Hopes and Fears', and with Kike Oldfield, Steve Killage, and Eatfield and the North. Maggie Nicols : Voice and piano. Has worked with many jazz and theatre groups including Spontaneous Music Ensemble (one of the first European free music groups), I.O.U. theatre company, Ark, and Centipede (Keith Tippett's 55 piece group) and rock and soul groups including Ova. Has taught voice workshops in London regularly for the last seven years, and many in Europe. Ferforms with Voice (with Phil Hinton, Julie Tippetts and Brian Eley)and with other improvising musicians. Recordings include: Voice, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, and recent duo recording with Julie Tippetts. Sally Potter : Voice and alto sax. Since 1970 has worked as filmmaker, choreographer, performance artist and musician. Films shown in festivals in London at N.F.T., in New York and in experimental European cinemas. Performed with and choreographed for groups including Strider in Europe. Formed Limited Lance Company in '74 with Jacky Lansley, toured Europe and U.S.A. Has collaborated with Rose English on large scale performance events. Lectures on cultural politics. Performs intermittently with other improvising musicians such as Steve Beresford, Lol Coxhill and Fred Frith. Irene Schweizer : Piano and drums. Swiss. Has given solo concerts throughout Europe. Bias worked with many groups and jazz musicians including the Pierre Favre Trio, John Tchicai, Charlie Mariano, Radu Malfatti, Kakaya Ntshoko, Faul Lovens and many others. Currently has trio with Rudiger Carl (saxes) and Louis Moholo (drums). Recordings include:'European Echoes' with Manfred Schoof Orchestra, 'Free Jazz' with Evan Parker and others,. 'Messer' with Rudiger Carl and Louis Moholo, various records with other European and American musicians, and two solo records on F.K.P.(Berlin free music label) - 'Wilde Senoritas' and 'Hexensabbat'. •ft -X X-tH v -X-# X \ -.<-?( X X -X- X -X1 X- X- X -X- tfr * ■‘X -X- -K—X- X X -X-X- X-if vr-fr— t H t # X X X X-X-X •X-X-yf X-X-fr-X-X ■•‘XMttX-XXXXftXX'XX X iiXXX -X-X-fr-X X -X Corine Liensol : Trumpet. French, living in London. Played hurdy-gurdy, dulcimer with collective that toured villages, festivals etc in France. Has played with feminist rock bands including Jam Today and Ova. Anns Marie Roelofs : Dutch, lives in Amsterdam. Has played trombone and violin with various jazz, street theatre and improvisation groups. Toured and recorded with Henry Cow in June '78. Angele Veltmeijer : Tenor and soprano saxes, flute. Dutch, living in London. Has played with several rock, jazz and soul groups, including The Sadista Sisters and Jam Today. KJ'XUST IMPROVISING GROUP The Feminist Improvising Group is a nucleus of five women improvising musicians - Georgie B o m (cello, bass guitar), Lindsay Cooper (bassoon, oboe, soprano sax, flutes), Maggie Ilicols (voice, piano), Sally Potter (voice, sax), and Irene Schweizer (piano, percussion). The group also works at various times with Corine Liensol (trumpet), Anne-Marie Roelofs (trombone), and Angele Veltrneijer (tenor and soprano saxes, flute). In concert we play in various 'sub-group* combinations, exploring the maximum possibilities for exchange between the players. The group first worked together in London, October *77> at a Music for Socialism week at the Almost Free Theatre, on an evening designed to examine, through examples and discussion, the political relevance and implications of improvised music. Since then we have played in London at venues including the Festival of New Music and Dance at the Roundhouse, June '73, the Environmental Music Festival, L.K.C., August '78, the Young Vic Women's Music Week, July '73; and also in Manchester, Norwich, Erighton and Liverpool. In Europe we have played at the Women's Festival in Eindhoven, Holland in April '78; at the International Women's Music Festival in Copenhagen, April '78; at the Stockholm Women's Festival, August '78; the Chapelle des Lombards, Paris, in September and December '78; in Reykavik, Iceland in November *78, and in Poitiers and Caens, France, in December '78. We are touring Northern England, France, Switzerland and Italy in early '79; and there are plans for tours of Scandinavia, Holland and Germany later in the year. Musically, our backgrounds and experience are diverse: classical, jazz, rock and soul groups, 'avant-garde' experimental music and performance art. The group was initially formed to combat the lack of opportunities for women musicians to work either together or with men in totally improvised music. Its existence became a conciously feminist statement in recognition of the fact that for women, working in music is still a political, cultural and practical struggle against male domination. About half our performances are at feminist events, which we see an important in helping to create the beginnings of a feminist culture. Although feminist audiences are usually familiar with more conventional forms of music whose progressive content is restricted to the lyrics, they are very responsive to the group's explorative, risky yet committed approach, which does not attempt to provide a cosy experience or an easy solution. To audiences at other events our feminism may be less immediately obvious than the politics of our music - a questioning and restructuring of existing musical codes - but we also make use of improvised theatre and words and recognisable musical references, which give our performances greater accessibility..