The Artistry of… Roxy Coss
She is an artist who does not mince words, and she doesn’t mince the music she makes, either. Roxy Coss demands honesty. It is a pillar of her artistry. She takes aim at issues of feminism, gender, politics, and marginalized social challenge. She weaves effortlessly into the lexicon of contemporary social thinking, including that of her socially animated audiences. In her own words, “My compositions are always going to be reflecting whatever I’m personally processing at that time.”
Coss launched the Women in Jazz Organization, a multilayered coalition of connection with other women and non-binary jazz musicians to ensure equal opportunity, empowering and countering shallow notions of assumption. Her album The Future is Female features original work with titles as right-up-against-you as Nasty Women Grab Back and Feminist AF.
Sadly, work that is unashamedly activist faces backlash and is often assumed to not be as substantial or as significant. That is unfair, and callously bashes and negates previous generations of socially conscious expression. Listen to the music. Listen to Roxy Coss.
The Artistry of… airs Wednesday evenings on Dinner Jazz with John Devenish.