The audio waveform of a saxophone most closely resembles a sawtooth - a gentle undulation in one direction, but in the other it can cut steel. The sound is at once rough and smooth, and I wanted to dig into both ends of that tactile spectrum, from smooth subtlety through to gruff impactful energy. I must thank the patrons of the commission, Carmen Jarrett and Kathie & Reg Grinberg for their generosity, and the Nexas Quartet for thinking it was a good idea.

 

Carl Vine, August 2023