Seven Limbs
SSC1802 2026-10-16
Track List
Prostration
Offering
Rejoicing
Confession & Purification
Requesting
Beseeching
Dedication
Musicians
Joe Lovano - tenor saxophone, tárogató, gongs
The Overlook:
Monica Davis - violin
Yezu Woo - violin
Angela Pickett - viola
Laura Metcalf - cello
Seven Limbs is composer Douglas J. Cuomo's second major collaboration with the saxophone giant Joe Lovano. Inspired by a specific meditation from Cuomo’s Buddhist practice, this sixty minute piece features Lovano playing a part that is almost entirely improvised, accompanied by a string quartet (The Overlook), playing a part that is completely notated. The piece is a consummate blending of classical composition with improvisatory practices.
As evidenced in the recording, Cuomo and Lovano have a special musical connection. Cuomo describes this connection and the unusual demands and requirements made by this way of working:
"For Joe, I try to create a musical world that is inviting but a bit mysterious, where he's challenged to do something di?erent than he usually does, but that has underlying characteristics that are based in the deeper levels of how Joe thinks about music. So, it's not about how he plays changes, or even how he solos, but what kinds of moods spark his imagination. What kind of harmonies, rhythms, colors can the string quartet provide that make him say, ‘I want to add my musical heart to that.’
“Joe often talks about his music in terms of tones and vibrations. That aligns with my thinking, also – it's a non-intellectual, almost mystical way of thinking about music that can be deeply powerful. Joe recognized that commonality in the way we approach not only music, but the world in general, which I think is why we have such a deep artistic and personal connection and trust. We also both love challenges, having a hunger to explore what else our music can do and where else we can take it.
“There are only a few measures in all of Seven Limbs where I specify precisely what Joe plays. The rest of the time what he sees in his part is only what the string quartet is playing, along with indications of when to play and when not to play. What he plays is entirely based on what he hears. This requires a high level of trust and openness on both our parts that I find very beautiful. It's a commitment to honor the moment — whatever occurs spontaneously in this particular performance, this particular recording take."
Cuomo originally wrote Seven Limbs for the guitarist Nels Cline and the Aizuri Quartet (Sunnyside, 2021). In 2021, Lovano attended a concert of the piece at Caramoor. Immediately after the performance, he turned to Cuomo and asked if it could be adapted for saxophone for him to play. The two were already collaborating closely, as Cuomo was composing a raft, the sky, the wild sea, a concerto for Lovano that also featured him improvising over a fully notated ensemble, in this case a full orchestra.
To create the saxophone version, Cuomo modified a number of sections, replacing parts that were written with Cline's specific guitar language in mind with material inspired by Lovano's musical thinking. He then recruited The Overlook string quartet (violinists Monica Davis and Yezu Wood, violist Angela Pickett, and cellist Laura Metcalf) to join forces with Lovano. After a number of live performances, they went to the recording temple of jazz, Van Gelder Studios, on June 1st and 2nd, 2025, and made this record.
Seven Limbs is divided into seven movements:
Prostration—The piece begins as an exploratory duet between violin and Lovano, then the saxophone drops out, leaving the Overlook alone. They play four variations of a slow six-bar theme, building to a climax and release, ending with a delicate high-register statement in the strings.
O?ering—Three energetic and lively sections are separated by two kaleidoscopic slower interludes. The rhythmic insistence of the former contrasts with the more mysterious character of the latter.
Rejoicing— Joe switches to the táragató, weaving its unique texture between the percussive taps and plucking of the quartet. The piece gathers a bright, dancing momentum as Joe and The Overlook playfully interact with each other.
Confession & Purification— The Overlook is alone on this elegy-like movement built over a four-note ostinato played continuously through the movement. The music gradually builds to a powerful emotional peak, ending with a trembling coda with the violins and viola above the pizzicato statement from the cello.
Requesting the Turning of the Wheel of Dharma— Joe is alone here, simultaneously playing an array of gongs and the tenor saxophone to conjure a warm, resonant, and deeply meditative space.
Beseeching the Buddhas Not to Pass Away— The Overlook's urgently driving rhythmic strings spur Joe's propulsive playing on tárogató. Then a brief respite, with cello, saxophone and viola combining to state a lyrical melody. The urgency returns, this time with the strings playing furious non-stop arpeggios, tumbling one over another as Joe propulsively wields his tenor, amplifying the intensity of the music's plea.
Dedication— After a fragile introduction featuring a high-register violin melody played in harmonics, this final movement gradually unfolds with a slow cascading tapestry in the strings, made up of simple descending scalar lines that are slightly o?set from each other. After a pair of succinct clarion call-like interjections from the quartet, the piece expands with a hushed intensity to reach its quiet and dramatic close.
Cuomo's musical output shows a striking range. He is the composer of the iconic theme for Sex & the City as well as Arjuna's Dilemma, the only western opera ever performed in Nepal. He has written for a wide variety of instruments, from large orchestras to intimate pieces for the 15th-century shakuhachi flute, to completely electronic works. Cuomo’s music has been performed at venues throughout the world, from Carnegie Hall, London's Royal Festival Hall, the Manchester International Festival and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, to the Village Vanguard and numerous funky downtown spaces in New York City.
Cuomo has written for and collaborated with artists including the jazz and rock guitar god Nels Cline, opera superstar Denyce Graves, classical guitarist Pepe Romero and Pulitzer Prize, Academy Award and Tony winner John Patrick Shanley. He has works upcoming for Sullivan Fortner with Sandbox Percussion, Tyshawn Sorey with Seth Parker Woods, and former Kronos Quartet member Je?rey Zeigler.
