Jeff Coffin - Between Dreaming and Joy (2022) [Hi-Res]

This recording wasn’t planned. It was a gift that came from the world essentially stopping in place in early 2020 and not fully continuing again for some time. Most of us went into silent, or stealth, mode and I was no exception. It was the first time in over 25 years that I had the time and resources to deep dive into my composing in a way that wouldn’t be interrupted by going on the road. I ended up with over 30 new tunes, I finished many older tunes, and ended up with 6 or 7 full records to release.

I never imagined I would compose a tune written from a bass line I played on a chair lined with bungee cords. I never imagined I’d have a Moroccan woman (Sarah Ariche) singing and playing an African Ngoni on a record. I never imagined I’d have Michael League (Snarky Puppy Bassist) playing Middle Eastern frame drums on a tune. I never imagined having Brasilian percussion (Bernardo Aguiar) on my music. What I DID imagine was getting the best musicians I know to make music together and I imagined it would be awesome - and it is!

The very first tune I wrote during this time is the title track, Between Dreaming And Joy. It’s an unusual tune for me, as are most of these, and I think it reflects what I was going through and the feelings around me and my family. Marcus King absolutely SLAYS me on this! His vibe and musicality really shine through and he was a joy to work with, as were all the musicians involved - an embarrassment of riches!

Another unusual aspect of this is that no one recorded in the same place. Usually, there are at least a few of us in the same sonic space but not this time. To get the music to the musicians in a way that made sense to them was a challenge in itself and the order in which to record the parts was a jigsaw puzzle due to its many pieces and intricacies. But, we made it work and the results are stunning and I couldn’t be happier with the way everything turned out. I’m excited to share the rest of the music with the world as we move forward and I think you’ll find it’s every bit as unusual and interesting as this recording is. I don’t have a favorite tune or a favorite moment. It all holds my heart equally.

I listened, explored, improvised, sang, re-wrote, meditated, breathed, yelled, cried, balked, waited, and most of all, learned from this experience. I am deeply thankful for the time I had to compose and work on all this music. I am also profoundly grateful to have an incredibly strong and loving partner in my wife, Ryoko. She is amazing in every way. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all these heroes and heroines of mine who are part of this music as well. I felt like I was alternating between dreaming and joy the entire time and these incredible spirits were all there with me as we found our way forward, together from different places…

Jeff Coffin:
soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, bari sax, electro-sax, tarogato, piccolo, alto flute, bass flute, c flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, melodica, vocals, percussion, coke bottles
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BASS: Vicente Archer, Tony Hall, Michael League, Stefan Lessard, Felix Pastorius, Alana Rocklin, Jonathan Wires, Chris Wood
GUITAR: Richard Aspinwall, Mike Baggetta, Robben Ford, Marcus King, Bob Lanzetti
DRUMS: Keith Carlock, Kris Myers, Jordan Perlson, Derrek Phillips, Chester Thompson, Derico Watson
KEYS: Nigel Hall, David Rodgers, Buddy Strong, Chris Walters
TRUMPET: Emmanuel Echem, Bill Fanning
TROMBONE: Ray Mason
BRASILIAN PERCUSSION: Bernardo Aguiar
MOROCCAN FRAME DRUMS: Michael League
VOCALS & NGONI: Sarah Ariche
ADDITIONAL VOCALS: Jennifer Hartswick
TURNTABLES: DJ Logic