Roxy Coss has visited Tucson many times and has been a master clinician with the Tucson Jazz Institute Ellington Big Band on several occasions. This time she was a headliner at The Century Room and we invited her to lead an all girls combo prior to her performance on Sunday, January 25, 2026. The girls were recruited from different schools and together for the first time for this special clinic. It was also Roxy’s first time leading a clinic of students that have never been together before. She shared two of her compositions with the girls and gave many tips on how to improve their technique, find the power, and improvise. She also provided them with a brief description of her career path and outlined what a possible path would be for them in the world of jazz — as there is a demand for ‘women in jazz.’ Assisting Roxy were her bandmates – Caili O’Doherty/piano and Cory Cox/drums.
ABOUT Roxy Coss: GRAMMY Award-winning Saxophonist Roxy Coss has been a celebrated figure on the New York scene for over fifteen years. She is the recipient of a Jazz Road Tour Grant, a Downbeat Critics’ Poll “Rising Star” Award, an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award, The AFM Local 802’s four-year “Emerging Artist” grant, Jazziz Magazine’s “Artist to Watch”, and Hothouse Magazine’s “Tenor Saxophone” Award. Coss is a prolific composer and established bandleader, having released six albums to critical acclaim, including her latest, Disparate Parts (OiM), which was featured in Downbeat. Her newest release, a digital-exclusive EP, Never Meet Your Heroes, was released on November 14th, 2025 (OiM).
Coss is the newly-appointed Director of Jazz Studies at Stony Brook University, as Assistant Professor of Music. She is also the Founder and President of Women In Jazz Organization (WIJO), and Co-Artistic Director of the Brubeck Jazz Summit. She recently completed a distinguished scholar position as Visiting Fellow at Wesleyan University, where she participated in the Bailey College of the Environment’s Think Tank on Agency and Improvisation; researching and teaching about “Women in Jazz”.
This clinic was sponsored by the Tucson Jazz Music Foundation thanks to the many donors over the years that have donated on behalf of girls jazz programming. We thank The Century Room for providing the space/stage where magic happens and this clinic was evidence of that magic.
Testimonial by Molly/drummer: Going to Roxy’s all-girl clinic was such an amazing experience! I think regular jazz clinics can be a very stressful environment for girls because we are so outnumbered by men and it can feel very intimidating. So it was really nice to be in a space where I felt comfortable to ask questions and make mistakes. Roxy gave a lot of helpful comments, both about our playing in general and advice specifically for female musicians. I learned a lot, and I am so glad I attended.
