Jeff Coffin

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 passing of founding member LeRoi Moore. Coffin also fronts his own group, Jeff Coffin & the Mu’tet - with which he has a new CD 'INTO THE AIR' on Ear Up Records which was released September 4, 2012.

Education
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. After graduating from 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.

Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
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 of 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. (due out late 2012 - Alfred Publishing)

During Coffin's tenure in the band, the Flecktones won Grammy Awards for the following recordings
 * Best Contemporary Jazz Album, Outbound (2001)
 * Best Contemporary Jazz Album, The Hidden Land (2007)
 * Best Pop Instrumental Album, Jingle All the Way (2009)

Dave Matthews Band
On July 1, 2008, Coffin joined Dave Matthews Band for their 2008 summer tour after saxophonist LeRoi Moore was injured in an ATV accident. Though the stint was originally planned to be temporary, Moore died unexpectedly of complications from his injuries on August 19, 2008, and Coffin has remained with the band since. Among other things, he completed the saxophone work Moore had left unfinished on the band's 2009 studio album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. The new Steve Lillywhite produced DMB recording is titled "Away From the World".

Jeff Coffin & the Mu'tet
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.

A new Mu'tet studio recording titled "INTO THE AIR" was released September 4, 2012 featuring Jeff Sipe, Kofi Burbridge, Felix Pastorius, Bill Fanning and their special guest, guitarist Lionel Loueke.

Other recordings by Coffin include: LIVE!, DUET (w/Jeff Sipe), MUTOPIA, BLOOM, GO ROUND, ''COMMONALITY", "OUTSIDE THE LINES", "3ioMusik" (with Tom Giampietro and Mel Deal).

Notable sideman projects include, Victor Wooten, Jeff Babko/Jeff Coffin/Vinnie Colaiuta, Prasanna, JD Souther, Boyd Tinsley, Everyone Orchestra, Jonathan Scales, and hundreds of commercial studio sessions.

Jeff has his own record label called Ear Up Records (www.earuprecords.com) - home to two Mu'tet recordings, "Into the Air" and Live! & the trio recording 3ioMusik.

Jeff played with the Soul Rebels Brass Band on Jam Cruise 2013.

Teaching
Coffin has been a Yamaha Performing Artist and clinician since 2000 and has given over 300 music clinics at Colleges, Universities, High Schools and JR High Schools from Farmington, Maine to Perth, Australia. His wide variety of teaching methods and his ability to connect with students and teachers alike have won him numerous accolades from educators who feel Coffin's ability to inspire their students has left it's mark for a lifetime. Today, when on and off the road, Jeff continues to work with students and is very involved with music education systems, believing that the arts define our culture. He speaks passionately about the necessity of public school music programs and encourages young and old to speak out and rally against their continued demise.

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

 * 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)