Between Dreaming and Joy

ALBUM NOTES:

From JC:

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 it’s 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 music with 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…

Releasing yesterday and circling overhead 

The wind carries us with no clear place to land

Up over the treetops we have an ariel view

Gaining perspective and creating as we go

Not knowing which direction will the wind will take us

Strong, Sharp, Cold, Hot

Fierce, Calm, Agitated, Harmonious

The currents of life are akin to sound

Commonality binds us all in concert

Sharing unknown vibrations

And whether awake or asleep

We find ourselves in every moment

Between dreaming and joy

————

PRESS RELEASE:
GRAMMY-Winning Saxophonist and Composer Jeff Coffin Delivers a New Enchanting Masterwork with Between Dreaming and Joy, due out August 26, 2022 via Ear Up Records 

Featuring a robust list of collaborators including Michael League, Marcus King, Robben Ford, Stefan Lessard, Buddy Strong, Nigel Hall, Keith Carlock, Chester Thompson, DJ Logic, Felix Pastorius, Jeff Babko, Jennifer Hartswick and more!

Between Dreaming and Joy is the latest release from saxophonist, composer and educator Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band/Bela Fleck & the Flecktones). In the company of an eye-popping cast of musicians, the forthcoming Ear Up Records release — slated for August 26, 2022 — is a breathtaking culmination of over two years in the studio. Calling upon its enigmatic, pandemic-induced origins, Coffin’s upcoming 10-track collection gathers unusual and new sounds for the saxophonist, speaking to the power of his boundless compositional impulse and eclectic sonic arrest.

Coffin is joined by a diverse, all-star group of musicians for his 21st release as a leader. With an impressive and vast lineup, each artist featured on Between Dreaming and Joy’s roster uniquely recorded for it in a different place -  a rare circumstance for Coffin, who notes how recording each component felt like a jigsaw puzzle due to the album’s many pieces. The robust list of Coffin’s collaborators includes: Marcus King, Michael League, Robben Ford, Keith Carlock, Stefan Lessard, Nigel Hall, Kris Myers, DJ Logic, Bob Lanzetti, Jordan Person, Felix Pastorius, Chester Thompson, Buddy Strong, Bernardo Aguiar, Sarah Ariche, Jeff Babko, Mike Baggetta, Jennifer Hartswick, Vicente Archer, Chris Wood, Bill Fanning, Alana Rocklin, Ray Mason, Emmanuel Echem, Chris Walters, Richard Aspinwall, Derico Watson, David Rodgers, Derrek Phillips, Jonathan Wires and Tony Hall.

”It was the first instance 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,” Coffin notes, discussing his reaction to the global moment-of-pause. Despite no plans to release an album at the time of lockdown, Coffin took the standstill period as an opportunity to relish in his creative process. Maximizing his musical resources without disruption, he finished some stashed-away works while finding new influences along the way. “I ended up with over 30 new tunes, I finished many older tunes and ended up with 6 or 7 full records to release.”

Between Dreaming And Joy, while anchored in spontaneity, captures Coffin’s inclination to transcend genre. The record is sustained by a variety of instrumentation and features 8 bassists, 6 drummers, 5 guitar players, 4 keyboardists, a set of Middle Eastern frame drums, Brazilian percussion, Moroccan vocals, a turntable artist, multiple horns, an ice cream truck, a Hungarian Tarogato and an African Ngoni.

Blending the fierce and calm, Coffin invites us into a harmonious realm he describes as a point “between dreaming and joy.” The album opens with the spirited fusion track “Vinnie the Crow”, where DJ Logic joins the lineup on turntables for an uplifting intro co-written by Coffin and Alex Clayton. Encapsulating the spirit of isolation, the title track is infused with whim, offering a reflective tone that at times evokes a blues rock anthem before segueing into a dreamlike, instrumental trance. Marcus King’s prolific offering on guitar here gives meaning to the word ‘joy,’ while Buddy Strong’s moody stroke of the B-3 organ complements the blissful rich harmonic music in the background.

Other compositions also pick up on Coffin’s playful curiosities, like “In the Belly Of The Whale,” which utilizes a cluster of Brazilian percussion instruments. The entire record is wrought by an atypical pairing of instruments — on the track “Ruthie,” a tribute to the late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Kris Myers plays drums as well as a cowbell; while the album closer “Bird & Magic finds Coffin at one point playing a Coca-Cola bottle as a sound device.

Nearing the end of his expenditure, Coffin offers a trifecta saxophone performance on “Busting Out All Over,” taking listeners through an engrossing reverie with melodic interplay from David Rodgers on fender rhodes and B-3 organ. Exposing his dexterity with woodwinds, Coffin closes with a flute performance on the groove-infused “Bird & Magic,” a masterclass in nuance. 

“I felt like I was alternating between dreaming and joy this entire time,” he shares. “These incredible spirits were all there with me as we found our way forward, together from different places.” Demonstrating his affinity for experimentation and profound commitment to the avant-garde, Jeff Coffin takes a tree-top, aerial view on Between Dreaming And Joy, finding commonality in the vibrations of everyday life with a fierce look onward, toward a new and enhanced vantage point.

More about JEFF COFFIN…

Jeff Coffin is a globally celebrated saxophonist, composer, educator, and is a member of the legendary U.S. rock group, Dave Matthews Band. You may also know him from his 14 years, and 3 Grammy Awards, with the genre-defying Bela Fleck & the Flecktones. Jeff fronts numerous groups when not touring with DMB and has released 20+ solo CD's on Ear Up Records.

Coffin is known for his musical passion, his deep commitment to music education, and his continued dedication to improvisational music.

Jeff is also a Yamaha Performing Artist & Clinician, a Boston Sax Shop Ambassador, teaches improvisation at the prestigious Vanderbilt University, authored numerous music books, authored a children’s book, produces, engineers, mixes, draws, and runs his own critically acclaimed record label, Ear Up Records.