Jeff Coffin
Born August 5, 1965
Genres Jazz, Fusion, Alternative Rock, Pop Rock
Occupation(s) Musician, Composer, Educator
Instruments saxophones, clarinets, flutes
Jeff Coffin (born August 5, 1965) is a saxophonist, bandleader, composer and educator. He is a three-time Grammy Award winner as a member of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and played with them from 1997-2010. In July 2008, Coffin began touring with Dave Matthews Band, and officially joined the group in 2009 following the death of founding member LeRoi Moore. Coffin also fronts his own group, Jeff Coffin & the Mu’tet, with which he released the album Into the Air on September 4, 2012.
Born in Massachusetts and raised in New England, Jeff began playing alto sax in fifth grade while living in Dexter, Maine under the tutelage of the one band director for the entire district, Arthur Lagassee. He attended the Summer Youth Music School at the University of New Hampshire for two summers in the 1980s, which he credits for his love of the music community and his love of mentoring young musicians. In 1983, after graduating from Spaulding High School in Rochester, NH, Jeff attended the University of New Hampshire for two years. In 1985, Coffin moved on to study at the University of North Texas, in Denton, TX, where he graduated with a B.A. in Music Education in 1990. A recipient of a Jazz Studies grant from the NEA, in 1991, he studied under saxophonist Joe Lovano.
Coffin joined Béla Fleck and the Flecktones in March 1997, and performed on every Flecktones album from 1998’s Left of Cool through 2008’s Jingle All the Way.
After being asked to stay on with DMB in late 2008, and due to extensive touring requirements, Jeff left the Flecktones after 14 years. He does not appear on their latest album, Rocket Science, which features original band member Howard Levy in his place. Former Flecktones bandmate Futureman will be performing with JC & the Mu’tet in August 2012.
Victor Wooten and Futureman have both contributed as 2/3 of the rhythm section in an upcoming book & play-a-long that Jeff wrote all the music for and is writing in collaboration with the visionary music educator Caleb Chapman titled The Articulate Jazz Musician.
Since the late 1990s Coffin has been recording and touring with his own band, “the Mu’tet”. Taking the name from the word ‘mutation’, the Mu’tet reflects Coffin’s philosophy that music must change and mutate in order to evolve.
Jeff has his own record label called Ear Up Records (www.earuprecords.com) – under which he released two Mu’tet recordings, Into the Air and Live! and the trio recording 3ioMusik.
Jeff played with the Soul Rebels Brass Band on Jam Cruise 2013.
Discography
The Jeff Coffin Ensemble
Outside the Lines (1997)
With Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
Left of Cool (1998)
Greatest Hits of the 20th Century (1999)
Outbound (2000) – 2001 Grammy winner
Live at the Quick (2002) – CD & DVD
Little Worlds (2003)
The Hidden Land (2006) – 2006 Grammy winner
Jingle All the Way (2008) – 2009 Grammy winner
Solo
Commonality (1999)
Jeff Coffin & the Mu’tet[edit]
Go-Round (2001)
Bloom (2005)
Mutopia (2008)
LIVE! (2011)
Into the Air (2012)
With Jeff Babko & Vinnie Colaiuta
Mondo Trio (2007)
With Jonathan Scales
Plot/Scheme (2008)
Character Farm and Other Short Stories (2011)
Jon Foreman
Fall EP (2007)
With Dave Matthews Band
The Best of What’s Around Vol. 1 (Encore CD) (2006)
Live at Mile High Music Festival (2008)
Live Trax 2008 (2008)
Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King (2009)
Live Trax Vol. 15 (2009)
Europe 2009 (2009)
Live Trax Vol. 19 (2010)
Live in New York City (2010)
Live at Wrigley Field (2011)
Away from the World (2012)
With Charlie Peacock
Arc of the Circle (2006)
With Umphrey’s McGee
Mantis (2009)
Death By Stereo (2011)
With Jeff Sipe
Duet (2011)
With The Triodes
Chunked (2009)
With Cage The Elephant
“Teeth, Hypocrite, Black Widow” (2013)
With Guitar Prasanna]
“Be the change” (2004)
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