Douglas J. Cuomo, Joe Lovano & The Overlook - Seven Limbs (2026) [Hi-Res]

Composer Douglas J. Cuomo and saxophonist Joe Lovano present Seven Limbs, a sixty-minute, seven-movement work inspired by a meditation from Cuomo’s Buddhist practice. The string quartet The Overlook (Monica Davis, Yezu Wood, Angela Pickett, Laura Metcalf) plays a fully notated part, while Lovano improvises almost entirely: in only a few measures is his playing specified, and otherwise he sees just the quartet’s music and cues for when to play or rest. Cuomo aims to build a world for him that is inviting but slightly mysterious, one that sparks mood rather than technique, in tune with Lovano’s way of thinking in tones and vibrations. The piece was originally written for guitarist Nels Cline and the Aizuri Quartet (Sunnyside, 2021); after hearing it at Caramoor, Lovano himself asked for a saxophone adaptation. Cuomo reworked the sections tied to Cline’s guitar language, and the recording took place on June 1–2, 2025 at Van Gelder Studios. The movements range from the quartet-led “Prostration” and the dancing “Rejoicing” with tárogató, through the elegiac “Confession & Purification” and the meditative “Requesting the Turning of the Wheel of Dharma” (Lovano alone on gongs and tenor), to the urgent “Beseeching the Buddhas Not to Pass Away” and the hushed “Dedication”. Cuomo is also known for the Sex and the City theme, the opera Arjuna’s Dilemma, and work with Denyce Graves, Pepe Romero and John Patrick Shanley; upcoming projects include pieces for Sullivan Fortner, Tyshawn Sorey and Jeffrey Zeigler.

Joe Lovano - tenor saxophone, tárogató, gongs
The Overlook:
Monica Davis - violin
Yezu Woo - violin
Angela Pickett - viola
Laura Metcalf - cello

Tracklist:
1. Douglas J. Cuomo, Joe Lovano & The Overlook - Prostration
2. Douglas J. Cuomo, Joe Lovano & The Overlook - Offering
3. Douglas J. Cuomo, Joe Lovano & The Overlook - Rejoicing
4. Douglas J. Cuomo, Joe Lovano & The Overlook - Confession and Purification
5. Douglas J. Cuomo, Joe Lovano & The Overlook - Requesting
6. Douglas J. Cuomo, Joe Lovano & The Overlook - Beseeching
7. Douglas J. Cuomo, Joe Lovano & The Overlook - Dedication