# CD review: Jeff Coffin – Between Dreaming and Joy 2022: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2022/09/15/cd-review-jeff-coffin-between-dreaming-and-joy-2022-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2022-09-15T01:50:57+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**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.

1. Vinnie the Crow
 2. Ruthie 3. Tip The Band 4. In The Belly Of The Whale 5. Between
Dreaming And Joy 6. Spinning Plates 7. Behind The 8 Ball 8. Busting Out All Over
9. When Birds Sing 10. Bird & Magic

**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**
 **–** **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**

![NEW RELEASE: GRAMMY-Winning Saxophonist and Composer Jeff Coffin Delivers a New
Enchanting Masterwork with Between Dreaming and Joy, due out August 26, 2022 (Ear
Up Records)](https://i0.wp.com/lydialiebman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Jeff-
Coffin.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

### _Related_