Death of Swiss jazz pianist Irène Schweizer
Swiss jazz pianist Irène Schweizer has died at the age of 83 after a long illness, according to a statement from her label Intakt Records.
Irène Schweizer, born in Schaffhausen in 1941, first played in a Dixie band at the age of 14, but then switched to modern jazz. Initially, she was inspired by the African-American free jazz movement. Later, however, she influenced the women's music movement more than almost any other female musician.
In 1983 she founded the European Women's Improvising Group. She played regularly with the women's trio Les Diaboliques with the British singer Maggie Nicols and the French bassist Joëlle Léandre or in a duo with the Zurich saxophonist Co Streiff. In 1986, she was involved in the organization of the first women's jazz festival in Switzerland, the Canaille Festival at the Rote Fabrik in Zurich.
Irène Schweizer was awarded the Culture Prize of the Canton of Zurich and the Swiss Music Prize in 2018. She retired from active concert life in 2021 for health reasons. She has now died after a long illness at the age of 83.
