October 14, 2015
In June/July 2015 I
began corresponding with the saxophonist of the Dave Matthews Band, Mr. Jeff
Coffin. I would like to thank both Mr. Coffin, and Mr. Brian Horner for
being so gracious towards me in all of our communications back and forth. In the time I had to talk with him, it was extremely evident
that Mr. Coffin is passionate about expressing and sharing his love of music.
Jeff Coffin emerged from the
wooded area of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and stopped at the
Performers' Entrance Gate behind the stage.
"You must be Francesco," he said, smiling as he stood by the
gate. He was accompanied by his wife and family, and he waved us into the area.
Mr. Coffin, who just
turned 50 at the beginning of August, provides listeners a portal for the
exploration and expression of music in a modern and classical sense. His mastery of innovation starts with the
saxophone, however he plays a wide array of other woodwinds as well. In fact, he is known to be able to play two saxophones at once. The music he has covered over the past 35
years ranges from Classical, to Rock and Roll, and continues to reach almost
all spheres of genre classification in-between. He has innovated music by exploring his own path of creativity along the way.
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, and the Dave
Matthews Band (DMB) are two of the bands in which Mr. Coffin has had
indisputable influences and success in being an essential part of. Both bands have been extremely beneficial to his creativity, and in turn, his creativity has been a big part of their worldwide success. These bands
are rooted with ties to the regions of Upstate New York, and the Northeastern United States. In the early days of the Dave Matthews Band,
they actually played in Canton, NY, at St. Lawrence University, in 1994. The Flecktones recently played at the Crane
School of Music at SUNY Potsdam for a part of their tour in 2011, and Mr. Béla
Fleck toured with the Knights and revisited SUNY Potsdam in February of this
year.
The Flecktones, renowned for
their bluegrass fusion of jazz, funk, and folk styles, are led by the
distinguished pioneering banjoist, Béla Fleck, and features Victor and Roy
Wooten. Coffin joined the group in 1998,
and the band won three Grammy Awards during his membership.
The Flecktones would frequently open concerts for the Dave Matthews Band, and appeared as guests at numerous shows in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, which is where Mr. Coffin’s connection to the Dave Matthews Band came into play. With the shocking and tragic passing of LeRoi Moore after an ATV accident in 2008, the Dave Matthews Band was in need of a saxophonist. Jeff Coffin was their man. “The reason I even met DMB was because of Béla and the band. It's a connection that has existed for a long time, and will continue to connect us all together, forever,” Mr. Coffin says.
The Flecktones would frequently open concerts for the Dave Matthews Band, and appeared as guests at numerous shows in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, which is where Mr. Coffin’s connection to the Dave Matthews Band came into play. With the shocking and tragic passing of LeRoi Moore after an ATV accident in 2008, the Dave Matthews Band was in need of a saxophonist. Jeff Coffin was their man. “The reason I even met DMB was because of Béla and the band. It's a connection that has existed for a long time, and will continue to connect us all together, forever,” Mr. Coffin says.
Dave Matthews Band’s release of Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King in
2009 was Mr. Coffin’s first full album appearance with the group. The album rapidly rose to the Number One spot
in the first week, with over 400,000 sales.
It has been certified platinum since, reaching over one million records
sold. Rolling Stone stated that it was their “best album yet.”
In 2012, the Dave Matthews Band
released Away From the World, which
marked the sixth consecutive album to debut at number one for the
group. Coffin says the track “Drunken
Soldier” contains some of his favorite lyrics from the band’s immense collection
of tunes:
“Keep your head up//Try and
listen to your heart. Be kind always, no matter//Shine your light while you got
one//And make the most of what you got.”
Audio from YouTube of "Drunken Soldier" below:
The Dave Matthews Band is currently
in the middle of their annual summer tour, and they are also in the production stages of a
new album, which is set to be released in the coming months. “We have been
working on the new recording when we can, but we were in the studio earlier in
the year and got a lot of work done on it then.”
Mr. Coffin’s busy schedule demands time away
from the band as well. “As far as my
own stuff… Trying to focus on my own projects is quite the challenge.” The work he alluded to includes his own band,
Jeff Coffin and the Mu’tet, as well as his work on an album with Caleb Chapman
and the Crescent Super Band. His efforts
on this project support music and the arts for children in Cuba. Of the album, Mr. Coffin indicated that “It's
a big band project. While we were in Cuba,
we recorded a couple of the tunes there, and we visited the National School
for the Arts and did a cultural exchange.”
All of the compositions featured on the soon-to-be released album are his own original works.
During their trip to Cuba, Mr.
Coffin became certain that something needed to be done. “We were so blown away by the students there, and the fact that they basically had archaic instruments and very little
funding. We decided the recording would
benefit the school and all the proceeds from the sale of the recording will go
to the National School of the Arts. We
are planning to send instruments and money to them to help them with their
progress as musicians and artists.”
His project was announced on KickStarter, and a goal of ten-thousand
dollars was originally set. Within just twenty-four hours of the project
being initiated, over ninety percent of the amount had been backed. The campaign reached its goal in just two
days!
“Stretch Goals” were added to
send additional resources to Cuba, and the project reached over $25,000, with
more than two-hundred-sixty people getting involved. Mr.
Coffin says his devotion to the operation actually stems from his own past
experiences. “I had great teachers
growing up who were very supportive and helped encourage my development. That's one of the reasons I continue to do a
lot of clinics and work with students.”
Growing up in the Northeastern United States,
Mr. Coffin knew early on that music was his niche. “Music made me feel a particular way, and it
still does. I have always loved
vocalists and the way they can pull the emotion from a piece of music. When I first went to music camp in high
school, I realized that I had found my tribe.”
Throughout his playing career, he has recognized
that certain challenges exist in balancing his own personal creativity with
each musical setting. “I understand that
I have to play a role with each situation.
I'm serving the music first, the musicians I'm playing with second, and
the audience third. Creatively, I feel
that each situation is unique and I try to bring as much creativity to the
music as I can.”
In May of 2015, the Dave Matthews
Band performed one final time at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City
for a “Legends of Letterman” telecast. This
show marked the thirteenth time the band had appeared on Mr. Letterman’s
late-night program. "It's awesome
to be here and say goodbye to the great David Letterman," said Dave
Matthews at the performance. "The
first TV show we ever did was the Letterman show [In 1995], so this is crazy!"
The setlist for the show included the debut of
one of the band’s newest songs, “Black and Blue Bird,” featuring Coffin on
soprano saxophone. The song creates a
gentle blend of horns as bandmate Rashawn Ross joins in on trumpet. Their blend fits perfectly behind fascinatingly
resonant lyricism.
Video of DMB performing "Black and Blue Bird" on Letterman, from YouTube:
It was clear the band was meshing, and that they
are as strong as ever. “Playing at the
Ed Sullivan Theatre was incredible,” says Coffin of the experience. “It's an
institution, and so much has happened there through the years. To be part of that vibe was really inspiring.
To be there toward the end of Letterman's tenure made it even more special.”
Mr. Coffin added, “I had a quick few words with
Letterman after the performance when he came over to the band. Just a brief
hello kind of thing...he's a busy man!”
As the band concluded their last Letterman performance with “What Would You Say,”
which they had debuted on the show in 1994, Letterman walked across the stage,
pointed at Mr. Coffin after an extraordinary flute solo, and said, “Nice
going!”
Jeff Coffin playing
live in the Summer Tour of 2015 with the Dave Matthews Band.
(Photo by Rodrigo
Simas of Rodrigo Simas Photography, used with permission)
At the beginning of July, the band arrived in
Saratoga Springs, New York, where they would perform on two consecutive nights
at the renowned Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). The members of the Dave Matthews Band have
kept the amphitheater close to their hearts, as they have played this venue
thirty-three times over the past nineteen years. The performances this year were held on July
3rd and 4th. My
dad and I made the pilgrimage for the July 4th show, on our way to
an evening we would not forget.
It was approximately 4:30 when we arrived at
SPAC. All the way over to the venue, the
rain had been pouring down, and it appeared that it would be a miserable, rainy
night for the concert. I had contacted
Mr. Coffin a month prior to the concert, and he graciously responded. Some arrangements were made, and it was established
that I would meet him for an interview in Saratoga. As we
got into the parking lot, it was confirmed that we would meet him at the
performer’s entrance gates.
Surprisingly, there were no issues with security
on the way down to the sheltered location, directly behind the stage. We waited for a few minutes and conversed with
a friendly security guard manning the gates.
Suddenly, the clouds started to open up, and the sun began to shine
through. Right on time, Mr. Coffin made
his way to our location accompanied by some of his family. It did not rain for the rest of the night.
 |
My dad (Right), and I (Left), with
saxophonist Jeff Coffin of the Dave Matthews Band (Middle)
|
Dave Matthews took the stage and
the roar of the crowd echoed throughout the theater and surrounding forest. He greeted the crowd saying, “It’s good to be
here again, and I’m glad that it seems to have cleared up…So we’ll try to have
a good time this evening.”
The first set started with Dave
Matthews playing a few songs solo, including a couple rarities. Rashawn Ross, Tim Reynolds, and Jeff Coffin
then took the stage for “One Sweet World,” and the crowd erupted in cheers and
applause. The band paid its respect to
the Grateful Dead’s 50th (and final) year of performing with a cover of their
song, “Friend of the Devil.”
Between songs throughout the band’s sets, the captivated
and energetic crowd of over twenty-four thousand would capture the moment with unison
chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” in celebration of Independence Day. Mr. Coffin fed off of the abundance of energy
and took a solo rendition of the patriotic “Colonel Bogey March,” accompanied
by Carter Beauford, backing him with the tight marching beat on his drums.
Some very special guests were on-stage
throughout the concert as well. The
Lovely Ladies added incredible vocals on classic songs such as “You & Me,”
and “Everyday.” “The Ladies are awesome!” complimented Coffin, “We love having
them up on stage with us.” Another long-time, dear friend of the band, Mr. Béla
Fleck, joined the Dave Matthews Band at SPAC for several songs throughout the
night. Mr. Coffin commented, “It was great to share
the stage again with Béla! He's a very
close friend, and it brings back memories of the times we spent in all the
years together with the Flecktones.”
 |
Jeff Coffin with Béla Fleck, 2015.
|
Jeff and Béla both placed magnificent solos in “Grace is Gone” for the acoustic set, and then played “Lie in Our Graves” together in the electric set. Their musicianship captivated the crowd as the chemistry between the two innovative artists proved to be as strong as ever.
 |
”Group Shot with Béla Fleck!”
L>R: Dave Matthews, Rashawn Ross, Carter
Beauford, Béla Fleck, Boyd Tinsley, Jeff Coffin, Stefan Lessard, and Tim
Reynolds.
(Photo
by Jeff Coffin, at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, July 4th, 2015) |
Jeff Coffin identifies that a
significant reason for the band’s inner harmony lies in the evolutionary
process of their creative music. “I
think DMB is established to such a point that we are always going to sound like
the band in any situation.” However, he
adds, “This band is always pushing the envelope to get better, and to try new
things, so the creative process is pretty fun and interesting with everyone.” When asked if the record labels outline their
direction when the band is in the studio recording, Mr. Coffin responded that
“A producer puts a particular 'stamp' on a project, but I don't think they try
to make us sound different than we are. I
don't think this band would allow that anyhow.”
Though the cover of the Grateful Dead was a
tribute on this July 4th evening, it is also just one instance
representative of how the Dave Matthews Band has expanded beyond their records.
There is a vast array of songs that the
band can play on any given night.
Besides playing their own songs that cover nearly twenty-five years of
recordings, they have an extensive list of songs and musicians that they cover
live in concert. “It’s scary,” laughs
Mr. Coffin. “Having to know 140 to 150
tunes is daunting, and I have to have it all together every night, regardless
of what Dave puts on the setlist.”
Nonetheless, Jeff Coffin is a musician whose
artistic skills and career have covered many genres. He has shared the stage with countless jazz,
rock, and blues icons such as Branford Marsalis, Sir Van Morrison, Lynyrd
Skynyrd, My Morning Jacket, Phish, the Wailers, Cage the Elephant, Jack
Johnson, Ziggy Marley, and the Blues Traveler.
He has also played with country legends like Willie Nelson, EmmyLou
Harris, Garth Brooks, and the Dixie Chicks.
Coffin says such variety adds to the excitement. “It's inspiring to have that much material to
choose from, but it's a tremendous amount of work. I love that there is a wide range of material.
It keeps it interesting and fun for all of us.”
 |
Jeff Coffin enjoys
the opportunity he has in playing an abundance of music.
(Photo by Rodrigo
Simas of Rodrigo Simas Photography, used with permission)
|
In meeting with
Mr. Coffin at SPAC, and in corresponding with him, it was evident that he is a
true gentleman with a passion for sharing his talent in a way that enriches the
lives of others. He was so personable, sincere and generous
with us, despite being so close to show time.
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| "Here, let's take a selfie" - JC |
Right as we were getting ready to leave so he could get ready for the show, he said,
