Dominic Murcott is a composer who lives in London. Something of a polymath, his career includes a British Composer Award winning piece for a custom made ½ ton bell; (released as The Harmonic Canon on Nonclassical in 2019), research into the work of the Conlon Nancarrow and the curation of large scale festivals in London and NY dedicated to him; recording drums and percussion for many influential artists including The High Llamas, Stereolab and Pavement; public speaking and interviewing; production and sound engineering to name a few areas. Since 2003, he has led the innovative Composition Department at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in Greenwich, and is in demand internationally as an educational advisor and PhD examiner. A passionate cook, recent years have seen him delve into the relationship between food and music, presenting a public event at the British Library in 2019 with Heston Blumenthal and The Smith Quartet.
1:3:5:7 Improvised Duos was created with exact time limitations – 1', 3', 5', 7' – over four brief recording sessions with four superb improvisers, blending clattering percussion, contemporary classical sensibility and free improvisation that veers into jazz. "The idea behind it was a simple question," says Dominic, "if we know exactly how long the section is going to be, will it influence the material in each? For example, is the first gesture of a 3’ improvisation different to that of a 7’ one? Each of the collaborators has a very particular style and I adapted to each by limiting the percussion I could use for each one. For intimacy I engineered the sessions myself so only two of us where ever in the studio at any given time."