Restless Idealism

What sets Ms. Coss apart from all the other sax players is her (almost) relentless pursuit of originality, and this ten-song release is nothing but Coss originals! You'll "get the sonic picture" as soon as you catch the first eight (or so) bars of her opening tune, "Don't Cross the Coss"... & what you will hear, above all else, is that she doesn't need to "try" too hard... her playing style is totally natural & jammed full of life. I first reviewed her work quite some time back, in issue # 113, where she got a "PICK"... if anything, this latest release is just further proof that she's one of those players you just HAVE to hear! It's very clear, too, that the players she has with her (Jeremy Pelt - Trumpet; Alex Wintz - Guitar; Chris Pattishall - Piano; Dezron Douglas - Bass and Willie Jones III - Drums) all understand how to move with her, and possess the superb skills required to keep up with her compositional and performance talent. That's especially true on my favorite of the ten tunes, the subtly high-energy piece "Breaking Point"... at nearly eight minutes (7:55, to be exact), it builds to the same kind of passionate climax the title implies - simply wonderful jazz! I give Roxy another MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an "EQ" (energy quotient) rating of 4.99.