" data-original-title="" title="">Rivkah Ross is a Portland, Oregon-based drummer and composer who has made her way professionally as a side musician in a variety of styles for a variety of leaders. Her debut recording, Dare to Hope (2024), is in her words, " A singular artistic statement that shows a path to new territory." The album's liner notes refer to acceptance, resilience, and the "unwavering human spirit," as prime instigators of this effort to produce original works as an artist and bandleader. While declaring the impetus for personal creative assertion in the form of some sort of narrative is increasingly in mode with younger artists in current times, it still comes down to, as it always has, to evoking an emotive response from the listening audience. The jazz public has been treated to an art form that often combines genius with deep assertions of the human spirit presented with virtuosic instrumental and vocal prowess. The bar has been set high, no matter the window dressing surrounding the effort. It is what makes a debut recording so difficult to endeavor from start to finish. In Ross' case, she has produced an album that features compositions presented in the artist's extremely positive and hopeful mindset, surrounded by musicians from the Portland area with whom she has artistic familiarity. The tunes, while not necessarily memorable melodically, are competent and skillfully constructed, providing an able canvas for the solo work of her bandmates.

"Orange Cat Behavior" is the burner of the album's six offerings, providing insights into the band's ability to swing up-tempo and drop a dime or two in the process. Ross' skillset is evident from the very start, exhibiting a well-refined sense of swing, agile snare work and a gas pedal to the floor push of her bandmates. Pianist