Disparate Parts by Roxy Coss
Jazz saxophonist Roxy Coss already had the compartmentalization of human life on her mind in the four-part suite that provides the nucleus of her quintet’s latest album, Disparate Parts. Coss was pregnant with her first child while plying her instrument to flesh out her own and—for the first time—her bandmates’ compositions.
To hear Parts as a reflection of her stamina under a time of the physical duress that comes with nurturing the life in her womb is something of a marvel. To absorb the project as a statement of a bandleader allowing her co-creators room to showcase their strengths, it’s a gesture of generosity—perhaps most especially to keyboardist Miki Yamanaka and guitarist Alex Wintz. The latter evinces occasionally metallic riffage yet can apply the gentlest of nearly bell-like tones to Coss’ melodies.
Experiencing Parts as an extended musical rumination on Coss’ role as life-giver, though likely secondary to her original intention for the album, yields the ability to take it in as programmatic music that runs a gamut from majestic beauty to tuneful aggression.
