Irene Schweizer: 02/06/41 - 16/07/24

Swiss pianist-composer-activist Irene Schweizer, who has died at the age of 83 following a long illness, was an inspirational figure on the European jazz scene.

Hugely admired for her excellent musicianship she was also a dynamic agent of change who co-founded the leading independent record label Intakt, which champions experimental, adventurous artists from around the world. Her life long commitment to musical freedom stood in parallel to her strong advocacy of the rights of women and LGBT communities. Schweizer’s sense of humanity chimed with her virtuosity.

And at the keyboard she was an absolutely formidable presence. Part of the generation of post-Taylor players Schweizer had an ear for the most rhapsodic and eeriest of phrases, as well as a startlingly strong rhythmic drive, full of joyous dance implications, that would make her particularly effective in the company of inventive drummers such as Louis Moholo, Pierre Favre, Andrew Cyrille, Gunter Sommer, Han Bennink and Hamid Drake. In fact her duet recordings with players such as these are among the highlights of a sprawling discography that boasts over 75 albums, the bulk of which were issued by Intakt. The record company grew into a seminal outlet for both European and American avant-garde artists, and Schweizer was an entirely dynamic figurehead who wanted, along with co-founder Patrik Landolt, to build long term relationships with artists whereby their creativity could then grow organically.

Born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland Schweizer proved to be an entirely inquisitive, eclectic and fearless performer at an early stage of her life.  As a 26 year old she played the internationally renowned Montreux jazz festival and went on to work with legendary figures such as Yusef Lateef, Don Cherry, George Lewis, John Tchicai, and Evan Parker, though one of her longest running partnerships was with Rudiger Carl.

If Schweizer more than held her own in a free improvising scene largely dominated by men then she and other women were wont to celebrate their gender and encourage others. She was thus part of the trailblazing Feminist Improvising Group (FIG) alongside Maggie Nichols, Sally Potter, Georgie Born and Lindsay Cooper, the Swiss-French trio Les Diaboliqes and the European Women’s Improvising Group (EWIG). The giant steps taken by Schweizer, which could be placed in the lineage of Lil Hardin, Jutta Hipp and Mary Lou Williams, thus created a wholly inspiring foundation for contemporary female musicians, several of whom, such as Ingrid Laubrock, Angelika Niescier, Kaja Draksler and Marie Kruttli have gone on to release fine music on Intakt. In 2018 Irene Schweizer was awarded the prestigious Swiss Grand Music Prize, an endowment of 10,000 Swiss francs, which was adequate remuneration for a life dedicated to artistic excellence. But her legacy, as a facilitator, educator, composer, improviser and performer, is difficult to put a price on.