At the Lincoln Theatre on Friday, January 16th at 8pm, in the next turn of the 2014-15 JAG Inside Track series, is a performance by three-time Grammy award winning saxophonist Jeff Coffin and his band The Mu’tet. Jeff Coffin is perhaps best known for his 14 years spent with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, but many may also know that Coffin joined The Dave Matthews Band in 2009 and continues to tour with them. Coffin has released six albums with The Mu’tet since 2001, and they are now on the road with their latest album, Side Up, which dropped in November. When not recording and touring, Coffin has taught more than 300 music clinics in places all over the world to musicians of varying age. He will continue in that vein with a companion workshop on Saturday, January 17th at the Jazz Academy (see below for more details). The band name, The Mu’tet, being a variant for the word “mutation”, is meant to reflect Coffin’s beliefs that music is bound to laws of evolution and adaption. Their music is cultivated on the principal of incorporating widespread and global styles. Read on for more information from the JAG:
JAZZ ARTS GROUP PRESENTS JEFF COFFIN & THE MU’TET
FRI. JAN. 16, 2015 – LINCOLN THEATRE
Columbus, OH – The Jazz Arts Group’s Inside Track series continues its 2014-15 season on Friday, January 16, 2015 at the historic Lincoln Theatre with Grammy Award-winning saxophonist/composer/educator Jeff Coffin & The Mu’tet.
Jeff Coffin, saxophonist with the Dave Matthews Band and 3-time Grammy Award winner with Bela Fleck & the Flecktones (1997-2010), transforms once again with his unclassifiable, genre-smashing, all-star band, Jeff Coffin & The Mu’tet. The group’s name stems from the word “mutation,” clearly reflecting Coffin’s philosophy that music must continue to change and mutate in order to grow.
The members of The Mu’tet are some of the finest musicians on the planet – fellow Flecktone, and 5-time Grammy Award winner, Roy “Futureman” Wooten on acoustic drums; Felix Pastorius (bassist with the Yellowjackets and son of Jaco Pastorius) on electric bass; Bill “The Spaceman” Fanning on trumpet/space trumpet; and Chris Walters on acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond B-3 organ, and melodica.
As was the case with the previous Mu’tet CD Into the Air, Coffin collaborated with various members of the band during the writing of the music for their new Ear Up Records recording, Side Up.
“I came up with a basic working model for the tunes and then we fleshed it out from there,” shares Coffin. “These guys are all composers and their ideas really spark some beautiful creative, compositional moments. We’re all open to the variety of possibilities that exist and I’m grateful for their input and creativity.”
The band strives to expand themselves, as well as their fans, with music influenced by the deep, earthy wells of funk, jazz, African, New Orleans, Indian, folk, electronic, Gypsy, rock, Brazilian, and other musical cultures around the world. Jeff Coffin & The Mu’tet are unlike any band you have heard before!
Advance tickets are available for $20 (general admission) through the CAPA Ticket Office (614-469-0939) and through all Ticketmaster outlets. Showtime is 8:00 pm.
JAZZ ACADEMY COMPANION WORKSHOP: Saturday, January 17, 12:00 p.m. Students and audiences alike from Farmington, Maine to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Perth, Australia to Nashville, TN to Johannesburg, South Africa have been astonished by Jeff’s unique teaching and performing techniques. His listening, improvisation, and performance clinics have helped countless students gain valuable insight into a deeper understanding of music. His seemingly instant connection, high energy, and rapport with students of all ages and levels brings continued high praise from players, parents, and instructors from around the world. Students will carry the information given in these clinics for a very long time. Admission for this workshop is $10, and pre-registration is required. Register via phone at 614-294-5200 x 107 or online at www.jazzartsgroup.org.
The Inside Track series gives music lovers from all walks of life the chance to stretch their ears and stretch themselves at the newly restored and historic Lincoln Theatre. The revamped small-ensemble series will conclude with the ear-bending Latin rhythms of Ritmos Unidos (March 27, 2015). Call 614-294-5200 or visit www.jazzartsgroup.org for more information.
The Inside Track music series is presented by State Auto and Sequent with ongoing support from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, The Columbus Foundation, the Ohio Arts Council, The Reinberger Foundation, and The Westin Columbus. Concert sponsorship for Jeff Coffin & The Mu’tet is provided by up2drive with media support by The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus Alive, and WCBE 90.5 FM.
About the Jazz Arts Group:
The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) is America’s oldest not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to producing, performing and promoting jazz. JAG is the third largest performing arts organization in Columbus and consists of four focus areas: the Columbus Jazz Orchestra (CJO), one of the world’s finest professional jazz orchestras; the Jazz Academy, JAG’s extensive instructional programs educating both students and adults about jazz and American music; Inside Track, a jazz and blues performance series produced at the historic Lincoln Theatre and beyond; and Affiliate Musicians, a program providing employment opportunities for professional musicians.