Jeff Coffin, a two-time Grammy Award-winning saxophonist and composer, will perform with the Denison jazz faculty and ensemble during a weekend of enlivening music. He is holding a master class with the student ensemble at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, in Burke Rehearsal Room (240 West Broadway). The jazz faculty and Jazz Ensemble will then perform with Coffin as a featured guest at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 13, in the Burke Recital Hall (240 West Broadway). Both events are free and open to the public.

Denison music faculty Pete Mills, Tom Carroll, Andy Carlson, Doug Richeson, Tim Davis, Seth Rogers and Casey Cook will team up with Coffin during the first half of Sunday’s concert. The Jazz Ensemble, under Mills’ direction, will then perform an array of tunes with Coffin, including “The Jody Grind” arranged by John Clayton, “Samantha” by Sammy Nestico and “Tall and Lanky,” one of Coffin’s own pieces. Sophomore and vocalist Quinn Radziszewski will be featured on two songs, “Polkadots and Moonbeams” and “That Old Black Magic.”

Coffin is a member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, an instrumental group that performs bluegrass, fusion and jazz, sometimes dubbed “blu-bop.” Coffin also leads his own group, The Mu’tet which takes its name from the word mutation, giving way to his belief that music is constantly changing and mutating.

Since 1997, Coffin has traveled the world with the Flecktones, performing with musicians of all walks, including The Dave Matthews Band, The Dixie Chicks and Van Morrison.

Known for sometimes playing alto and tenor sax simultaneously, with a nod to Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Coffin seeks out the extraordinary in his saxophone sound and in his technique of improvisation. Coffin has played on hundreds of recordings, and has performed around the world including a 2007 performance at the esteemed Carnegie Hall. As a highly in demand clinician, he has presented clinics from Farmington, Maine to Perth, Australia and is also an internationally acclaimed Yamaha and Vandoren Performing Artist since 2000.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville – Master Class with Jeff Coffin, 1 p.m., Sat., April 12, Burke Rehearsal Room (240 West Broadway). Free and open to the public. To confirm, call (740) 587-6220.

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville – Concert, Jazz Faculty and Jazz Ensemble perform with Jeff Coffin, 3 p.m., Sun., April 13, Burke Recital Hall (240 West Broadway). Free and open to the public. To confirm, call (740) 587-6220.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575