Irène Schweizer, born on June 2, 1941, in Schaffhouse, Switzerland, was a notable pianist and percussionist known for her work in jazz and improvisational music. She began playing piano at 12 and later took up drums. In the early 1960s, she studied stride and bebop with Eddie Thompson in the United Kingdom. Upon returning to Switzerland, she formed a trio with bassist Uli Trepte and drummer Mani Neumeier. Schweizer's career advanced significantly in the late 1960s when she formed a trio with Pierre Favre and Peter Kowald, which later included Evan Parker. She started performing solo piano concerts in 1976 and collaborated extensively with saxophonist Rüdiger Carl from 1973 onwards. Notable albums include Wilde Señoritas (1977), Hexensabbat (1978), and Piano Solo Vol. 1 (1992). She was also a founding member of the Feminist Improvising Group in 1978, which later became the European Women's Improvising Group, and co-founded Intakt Records in 1984. Her final public performance was a duo with Hamid Drake at the Konfrontationen festival in Nickelsdorf, Austria, in July 2019, recorded as Celebration (2021). Irène Schweizer passed away on July 16, 2024, in Zurich.
