The Orchestra Henry Cow, Frankie Armstrong Henry Cow/France 1977

This is a precious live recording of The Orckestra, who made their debut performance in London on March 13, 1977, and performed intermittently until the spring of 1978. It was recorded at a performance in Paris on November 20, 1977. The Orckestra is a big band formed by the Mike Westbrook Brass Band, joined by female folk singer Frankie Armstrong and Henry Cow. This project strongly emphasized the ideological aspects of Cow at the time, and its origins seem to be in the charity activities of various musicians who supported the Communist Party. It seems that Cow took the lead musically, and the sound was very unique and radical, with a strong taste of far-northern chamber music, which was their specialty at the time, and the free jazz elements of the brass band added to it. It is also important to note that the vocals, not only as instruments but also as “songs”, were important, and the lyrics, due to the nature of their activities, seem to contain some kind of strong message. The choice of Brecht’s songs makes sense, considering the process by which this project was established. Since no recordings by The Orckestra remain, this live recording is a must-listen for Canterbury enthusiasts. Henry Cow with Mike Westbrook Brass Band featuring Frankie Armstrong Fete du Nouveau Populaire de Paris, Paris, France November 20, 1977 good audience mono Lindsay Cooper – bassoon, flute, oboe /Chris Cutler – drums/ Fred Frith – guitar/ Dagmar Krause – voice /Tim Hodgkinson – organ, clarinet, alto sax /Georgie Born – bass, cello/ Mike Westbrook – piano, euphonium /Dave Chambers – soprano sax, tenor sax/ Kate Barnard – piccolo, tenor horn/ Paul Rutherford – trombone, euphonium /Phil Minton – trumpet /Frankie Armstrong – voice