Call her a wide-eyed optimist, perhaps, but saxophonist/flutist  and composer Tia Fuller truly believes that music can indeed serve as the  perfect elixir, hence the title of her Mack Avenue debut, Healing Space,  the follow-up to her independently released CD, Pillar of Strength.  Conceived during a time of personal turmoil and transition, the disc  explores themes of transgression, reflection and deliverance with 10  original compositions, seven of which were penned by Fuller. "My prayer is  that this album serves as a healing agent for others and for people to feel  uplifted when listening to it. To not only aid in one's healing, but  wholeness and restoration...inspiring one to relentlessly press toward a  breakthrough into the next level," Fuller says.An uplifting spirit ignites Healing Space from the get-go on  "Breakthrough," a bristling post-Motown bop excursion that not only  highlights Fuller's bold and sassy alto tone and serpentine-like  improvisations but also her invigorating interaction with her band mates,  especially trumpeter and label-mate Sean Jones, who has featured her on his  three Mack Avenue discs, Roots, Gemini, and Eternal Journey. Her sanguinity  sparkles on the following "Just a Journey," a billowing mid-tempo groove,  written by her sister Shamie Fuller-Royston, that shows that Fuller is just  as commanding on the soprano saxophone as she is on alto. Fuller pulls  another gem from big sis' songbook with the R&B-laden; ballad "Ebonics," a  tune that would fit nicely on a sophisticated, yet young-minded jazz radio  format geared towards jazz listeners of the hip-hop generation. Except for  the gentle and evocative "The Olive Leaf and Dove," written by Shamie and  her drummer husband Rudy Royston, the remaining compositions are  originals.A 30-year-old jazz musician releasing a sophomore date absent of any  standards is a bold move.  Citing Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Duke Ellington and Miles Davis as  significant compositional influences, Fuller excels at economizing -  getting to the essence of her material then expressing it in an  unmistakably lyrical and cogent manner. Just witness the poignant twin  compositions - "Katrina's Prayer" and "Katrina's Lullaby" for evidence. The  former proceeds like a gospel hymn as Fuller unravels a plaintive melody  reminiscent of the kind heard in most black American churches; the latter  exudes a tranquil quality as if she's trying to soothe the physical and  emotional scars of Hurricane Katrina's victims. "I wanted to offer  something," Fuller says after witnessing the horrors of the catastrophe.  "After sending a $70 donation to Red Cross, I felt like it wasn't enough.  At that time, I wanted to provide a comfort zone for victims, that were  directly and indirectly affected by the hurricane."