John Eacott

John Eacott (born 19 December 1961) is a British composer and Principal Lecturer in Music at the University of Westminster.^[1]

Life

Eacott's career started in the 1980s with anarchic jazzers Loose Tubes, post-industrial metal bashers Test Dept, Roman Holliday, acid jazz group Vibraphonic, and a diverse array of artists including Damon Albarn, Goldie, Stereo MCs, The The, Georgie Fame, Terry Edwards and the Scapegoats.^[2][3][4]

Since the completion of his PhD in 2007, Eacott has focused on making accessible live performances using algorithmic composition as part of his organisation Informal^[5] . Flood Tide, which premiered at Trinity Buoy Wharf, Docklands in June 2008, is a musical performance generated by tidal flow. ^{[6][7][8] [9]} Flood Tide works by submerging a sensor into tidal water, the data from which is transformed by Eacott's custom computer software, into notation read live from computer screens by musicians.^{[10] [11]} Flood Tide has been performed ten times since its premiere, most notably at Southbank Centre's See Further-Festival of Science and Arts in 2010^[12] and the Mayor's Thames Festival in 2009.^[13]

Eacott's work Hour Angle works from a similar system to Flood Tide, yet its notation is generated from the movement of the sun.^{[14] [15]} Hour Angle performances include the summer solstice of 2010 at Royal Observatory Greenwich.^[16]

Informal have staged algorithmic works by John Eacott at venues including Royal Shakespeare Company, The Mayor's Thames Festival, Southbank Centre and Royal Observatory Greenwich^[17], and have worked with such organisations as Southbank Centre's vocal group Voicelab, and youth jazz musicians Tomorrow's Warriors. ^[18]

Eacott's production, It's What You Make It, inaugurated the Soundscapes Theatre, is a 360-degree theatre equipped with 3D surround-sound.^[19]

In 1995, Eacott won funding for an Urban Music summer school.^[20] In 2001, he lectured at Stetson University.^[21] In 2008, he held a workshop about SuperCollider.^[22] In 2010, Eacott took part in the Locus Sonus Symposium Sonification in Aix en Provence, France.^[23]

Eacott lectures in Contemporary Music at the University of Westminster.^{[24] [25]}

Works

As well as Flood Tide and Hour Angle, previous algorithmic / generative works include The Street, an interactive sound environment (2000), Morpheus, a CD Rom of generative electronica (2001),^[26][27] and Intelligent Street, in which users alter a public sound environment by sending text messages (2003).^[28][29][30]

Algorithmic works

• Flood Tide - music generated live from tidal flow. ^[31]
• Hour Angle - music generated live from the declination and hour angle of the sun. ^[32]
• Intelligent Street - a work where users can affect soundscape by sending text messages. ^[33]
• Diffusion - a package of generative jingles for radio station Resonance FM. ^[34]
• Emotions - nominated for BAFTA in 2002. ^[35]
• Morpheus - an album of generative tunes published by mushimushi. ^[36]

Theatre

• 1992 Gormenghast for the David Glass Ensemble ^[37]
• 2002 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Timon of Athens arrangements. ^[38]

Film scores

• Caught Looking (1991) ^[39]
• North of Vortex (1991) ^[40]
• A Bit of Scarlet (1997) ^[41]
• Escape to Life with Vanessa Redgrave (2000) ^[42]
• Alfie starring Jude Law (2003) (jazz club) arrangements. ^[43]

Television soundracks

• 3 Steps to Heaven (1995) ^[44]
• In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great BBC2 documentary series (1997)^[45][46][47]

Orchestral compositions

• recorded by Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Docklands Sinfonietta.

References

External links

• "Composer's website"
• "Composer's blog"