ON ASSIGNMENT: "CYBER'VIEW TO HOLLAND"
Holland resident, Hazel Leach (co bandleader, conductor, composer) for the United Women's Orchestra cyber chats with The Female Musician, New York USA.

(FUN FACT: Are 'Holland' and 'the Netherlands' the same? Answer: As far as the traveler is concerned, yes! Holland is the name commonly used abroad to refer to the country that is officially named the Netherlands. Strictly speaking, Holland comprises only the two western provinces of North and South Holland - a region that encompasses Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and other well-known Dutch cities like Delft, Leiden and Haarlem.)

[FM] How did UWO come to exist?
[HAZEL]1994 was the first commercial (paid) gig: the band developed out of a series of workshops which were organized in 1992 by a women's organization in Frankfurt "Frauen machen Musik e.V" Christina Fuchs, the other co-leader of the UWO was one of the organizers. I was invited to write something for the workshop and met Christina there (august '92). We agreed then to lead the workshops together. Quite a few of the present members of the UWO were there too: the workshops developed into a collective - and just kept going. In 93/94 there was a split in the group: half wanted to go pro, the other half preferred the experimental workshop format. This was when the UWO started as a gigging band. However, since the 'workshop' period is still very much a part of our collective memory, we'll be celebrating our 10th anniversary in 2002 (not in 2004)!

Please explain how you recruit your players?
Word-of-mouth... the 'main core' was around in '92. Our repertoire has been built up around the musical personalities in the band, so we look for replacements who fit- not only stylistically but socially, as a collective.

Are there opportunities available in your group for new members? Do you audition on a regular basis?
We practically have a double line-up, since we all have other work/projects and can't always make the gigs. New players are usually invited to rehearse with us and join the 'pool' to play in concerts. We do differentiate between 'permanent' members and subs, but we try to ensure that everyone in the pool plays regularly enough to keep up with new pieces and keep in touch with each other (musically speaking...)

With so many members living in various locations, how often does UWO rehearse?
Not enough! ;-).. when necessary, we hold rehearsal weekends (Friday thru' Sunday), usually in a cultural center in Bielefeld, which is approximately in the middle for all of us.. (halfway between Berlin and Arnhem, Hamburg and Frankfurt) Because of the costs, we only do this when we have a lot of new material/players, or in preparation for the studio. More often, we organize extra rehearsal time/facilities with our concert venues (especially when they can't pay much money) and combine rehearsals with the gigs.

As well as leader Christina Fuchs, you compose original material for UWO. In brief, please explain your approach to composition. Do you start with a melody you play on an instrument, pencil a score, use technology?
Every piece is different: a melodic idea, a harmonic structure, a text... anything can be the starting point. We both (I think I can speak for Christina here too) often write for specific band members and their musical style. My basic tools are the piano and my imagination... I still work with an old-fashioned pencil and score paper on the piano. I do use a computer, but not for composition, as it's too slow and the screen is far too small.. I like to see the whole piece at once, which often means that the floor around the piano is covered in paper... Occasionally I listen to (for example) fast sax-section bits on the computer (the bits my fingers can't handle on a keyboard). For printing the score I use the computer (the Finale program is still my favorite)

What are some of the long-term goals for UWO?
Staying alive...really! We never expected this band to live very long: a big band is a logistical nightmare and it costs a lot.. I'm still amazed that we're still here and making plans for 2002: a new CD (with guest soloists, not yet confirmed who... to be continued), a birthday retrospective party... I guess the workshop mentality has never really disappeared: the UWO is a great place to experiment with new musical ideas- both for Christina and me as composers, but also for the players in the band. As a musical facility for women musicians, just staying alive is probably a useful goal!

Being an all female ensemble in a male dominated genre of music, how has the orchestra been accepted in your opinion?
I think the reactions to us have been mixed: sometimes they have been stereotypically discriminatory (bookers/festivals who reject us because we're female, musicians who won't even listen to the music..) Others have been positive, welcoming our new approach to big band music. Unfortunately some positive reactions are totally uncritical (musically speaking..) - praising us just because we're women- and very unhelpful. In my own opinion the gender-discussion (women-in-jazz) is still in it's early stages: if the UWO can play a (modest) role in provoking/stimulating the discussion I'll be happy.

It seems that an orchestra such as this would be very costly to manage. Does the orchestra have a manager or agency that helps with booking the group?
This is a problem... Our costs are high, and few agents are willing to take us on. We do a lot ourselves, and have 2/3 bookers working for us on a percentage basis. We're still looking for an active, involved manager with contacts to the major festivals.. all suggestions welcome!

One of the features of your orchestra seems to be the creative freedom given to its members during improvisational solos. Is this a conscious approach?
Of course- for several good reasons:
1)We're not a commercial business. Everyone in the band is musically motivated, either because they stand behind the stylistic approach to big band music and/or to develop their own style
2) Jazz is about creative freedom.. Even the composed sections of our pieces are influenced by the players in the band, which is how it should be.

"The Blue One" (cd) was released in 1999. Is there anything in the works towards another cd release?
As mentioned above, we're planning to go into the studio soon to record a bunch of new pieces for release in 2002. I won a couple of composition awards last year, so we're recording the prize-winning pieces. Christina's produced some new gems.. We're planning to invite a few guest soloists to join us in the studio- possibly American players, as it would be nice to exchange/integrate euro/US jazz... It's still too early to confirm who they'll be, hopefully in a few months I'll know more.

Please keep The Female Musician abreast of all UWO performances and be sure to let us know when you will be performing in New York!
The chance would be a fine thing... As I said, we organize stuff ourselves, and I wouldn't know where to start for a US tour. If you know any agents crazy enough to try, let me know!! UWO gigs dates (and loads more info) are on our website: http://www.xs4all.nl/~hleach/

UWO is highly admired by The Female Musician. An orchestra such as UWO strongly remains a necessity in the music field. We wish you continued worldwide success!
Thanks!!!!