The Grammy-winning Saxophonist will also play a set with The Mississippians Jazz Ensemble
Jeff Coffin is an internationally recognized saxophonist, bandleader, composer, and educator and has been traveling the globe since the late 20th Century. He is a three-time Grammy Award winner from Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and played with them from 1997-2010. In July 2008, Jeff began touring with Dave Matthews Band, and officially joined the group in 2009 following the tragic passing of founding member LeRoi Moore. When not on the road with DMB, Coffin fronts his own group, Jeff Coffin & the Mu’tet.
Along the way, Coffin has absorbed an astounding range of influences. “Whether it be New Orleans Second Line, African, Indian Ragas, Brazilian, folk songs, Gypsy music, Alan Lomax field recordings, jazz, funk, etc…” he says, “the spirit and breath of the music is what I take away from the listening and playing. It’s what decides for me if I like it or not…I consider it ‘Spirit Music’.” Coffin is also known to play two saxophones at a time, a nod to the late great saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
Jeff is a heavily in-demand clinician, a Yamaha Performing Artist and, since 2001, has presented nearly 300 solo and Mu’tet music clinics from Farmington, Maine to Perth, Australia to students of all ages to raving reviews.
Living in Nashville, Tenn., since 1991, Coffin graduated with a music education degree from the prestigious University of North Texas in 1990 where he played in the acclaimed One O’Clock Lab Band. He also studied with sax great Joe Lovano on a National Endowment for the Arts grant.
A number of Jeff’s compositions have been published as big band arrangements through the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) Jazz Press double sax and he has presented them in concerts at many schools. Education continues to be an important part of what Jeff shares with others, and he is a tireless champion to players of all ages and levels to discover and cultivate their own musical voice.
At the 2000 Grammy Awards, in addition to Bela Fleck & the Flecktones winning a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Recording (Outbound), Coffin’s tune, “Zona Mona” (also from Outbound) was Grammy nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Composition.
Jeff is also an avid photographer and he sees photographic composition, musical composition and improvisation as going hand in hand. See his work online at www.jeffcoffinphotography.com.
Jeff will appear Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 7 pm at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Jeff will play a set with the University’s Mississippians Jazz Ensemble and a set with his own group, Jeff Coffin & The Mu’tet. Tickets are available through the University Box Office.
The performance and two days of clinics and masterclasses are the result of a first-time cooperative effort between the Ford Center and the Mississippians Jazz Ensemble as part of the new Campus Connections series that provides opportunities for University of Mississippi students to work with world-class artists.
The Mu’tet features an all-star group of musicians: Roy “Futureman” Wooten on drums (Bela Fleck & the Flectones, 5X Grammy winner), Felix Pastorius on electric bass (Yellowjackets, son of bass legend Jaco Pastorius), Bill Fanning on trumpet and space trumpet (George Garzone, Maria Schneider, George Russell), and Chris “The Pianimator” Walters on keys (JD Souther).
–
The Mississippians are the University’s premier jazz ensemble and is one of the oldest college jazz bands in the nation. Under the direction of Michael Worthy, the group was selected to perform at the 2012 National Conference of the Jazz Education Network.
Here are a couple of videos for your pre-show entertainment pleasure! (We went with what we think is best quality first…but all these videos still obviously feature really talented musicians!)
–
