Irène Schweizer
Gitta Gsell, Switzerland, 2005o
The recently deceased pianist Irène Schweizer is one of the rare Swiss musicians to have achieved international fame in the male-dominated world of jazz. This portrait film was made at the height of Schweizer's career and provides an insight into the youth and artistic development of the Schaffhausen-born musician, but above all into the breadth of her musical skills, which range from swing and hard bop to free jazz and other forms of improvised music.
A week ago on Tuesday, the great Swiss jazz pianist Irène Schweizer passed away at the age of 83. The 75-minute short and highly entertaining portrait film by Zurich director Gitta Gsell was made at the height of Schweizer's career and strikingly captures the brilliance and range of the legendary musician, who conquered the male domains of swing, hard bop and free jazz from her parents' restaurant and concert venue in Schaffhausen and wrote a chapter in the history of improvised music with her female trio Les Diaboliques. The film keeps the biographical short and largely ignores Schweizer's private life, with the exception of her feminist and lesbian commitments. This makes the tour d'horizon through great moments of free music all the more beautiful. When Schweizer bends over the keys in complete immersion and only looks up to communicate with grandiose fellow players such as Louis Moholo, Pierre Favre or Joëlle Léandre, one experiences musical Valkyrie rides: unbridled joy of playing without a net.
Andreas Furler