Sean Coffin's High 5

Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2018-02-24.

” What’s very obvious is that Sean Coffin sounds very comfortable in his own skin these days, and whatever he brought back from the US in his passion for that distinct East Coast US sound, he’s now expressing his own musical voice”.

(Michael Smith, Drum Media - Aug 2006)

Sean was born in Salem, MA, USA, north of Boston and emigrated to Australia as a youngster. Sean, and his brother Greg, grew up in a very musical home where Mum played piano and guitar and Dad growing up in the 50’s USA playing saxophone. Having completed the HSC he left for Boston in late 1987 and in 1988 started at Berklee College of Music, graduating with a BMus (Jazz Perf) studying with Joe Viola, Bill Pierce, George Garzone, Hal Crook, Ed Tomassi et al.

Within the years 1992-1995 Sean formed the Coffin Brothers with Greg and Simon Barker and did the rounds of all types of gigs in the Sydney area whilst gaining the reputation not only as a performer but as a valuable teacher. Sean’s other original project during this time was the funk/jazz band Medicinal Purpose.

1995 saw Sean return to Boston and then in 1996 to NYC where Sean lived until 2000. In 1999, Sean completed his Masters (Jazz Perf) at Manhattan School of Music, NYC studying with Bob Mintzer, Garry Dial, Manny Albam and Ludmilla Ulehla. While in the USA, Sean performed at NYC jazz venues Birdland, Savoy Lounge, C Note and in Boston at Wally’s and Willow Jazz Club etc, etc.

Since 2000, Sean has been back in Sydney lecturing and teaching at the Australian Institute of Music (thanks to Dr Peter Calvo) and steadily performing as a side-man and band-leader (mostly) with his original projects: Coffin Brothers, Sean Coffin Quintet, Eff Sharp And The Theory Of Nostrils, Medicinal Purpose. Sean has performed with Mike Nock, Chuck Yates etc, etc. and has also recently recorded on Tim Bruer’s CD (yet to be released).

Read our review of

Coffin Brothers Live.

“The blood of this music is not so much energy (although it assuredly has form of that) as the inter-relationship of sounds…nor is it relaxed, so much as brooding; simmering via slow and mid-tempo’s towards sudden, short lived explosions of intensity…Just as a hypnotist requires co-operation from a subject, this music needs commitment from the listener for the spell to fully work.”

(John Shand -Sydney Morning Herald, August, 2006)

You can contact Sean Coffin at

www.myspace.com/seancoffinmusic

1. JERRY BERGONZI – Berklee Performance Centre, January 1988

Now being born in the Boston area and having spent about 6 years living, checking out gigs and going to Berklee College of Music, it wouldn’t be a Hi 5 list without this cat Jerry Bergonzi. What more needs to be said. The ‘Gonz was the first person I heard as an 18 year old just over from Sydney and it was at the Berklee Performance Centre. I had just been accepted at Berklee and decided to stay in Boston and my family had gone back to Australia after a holiday that very day. My future teacher Joe Viola had advised me the day before to check out Bergonzi, and so I did. Jerry was playing with his quartet which included Bruce Gertz, Mick Goodrick ( I believe) and Bob Gulotti. I had never heard a saxophone explore avenues with such breathtaking, blistering sounds the way Jerry moved around the horn. His tone was massive, angular and hauntingly yet beautifully dark and aggressive. To be quite honest my memory bank hasn’t taken in the rhythm section it was mesmerized by the ferocity and absolute command of Jerry’s tenor saxophone. What a wake up call! It was too much to take in and years beyond my understanding from all facets and yet this was the first real taste of my endeavour as a young saxophonist. Future pilgrimages to Jerry’s gigs, particularly at the former Willow Jazz Club, only served to startle the senses and recharge the batteries of want. What an inspiring musician.

2. KEITH JARRETT TRIO – NJPAC, New Jersey, 1999

These gigs at the New Jersey Performing Arts Centre were the first for Keith after about 18 months of not performing due to CFS. WOW! What a life force. I’ve never experienced anything like it. The mood in the auditorium was electric and when Keith, Gary and Jack walked out on stage there was massive applause and then dead silence. I was sitting in the cheap seats at the back, which was in a way good because you became surrounded by not only the music, but by the people, the atmosphere, the acoustics and suddenly found myself zooming in on each player at different times as if in a trance. Keith, Gary and Jack were not separate beings but one person all playing the same instrument. I don’t remember specific tunes, what they started with and what they ended with it wasn’t about that it was the music and/or conversation that took place. What I do remember is burning, smoking, swinging versions of Oleo and particularly, Doxy. What an amazing experience to be in the presence of this trio.

3. GEORGE GARZONE – The Fringe, Willow Jazz Club, Boston, early and mid 90’s

Now is the time for one of my favourite teachers and the most mesmerizing and explosive, expressive and organic saxophone masters from the Boston area in George Garzone. There are numerous gigs to choose from, particularly one night at the Internet Café in New York City Nov 28 1997 as part of the Schulldogs (George and Ed Schuller and Tony Malaby) but I’ve decided on the band The Fringe. Since the early 70’s, George Garzone, Bob Gulotti and John Lockwood have been the Fringe, a Boston and modern free-jazz institution. Many times, did we as students frequent the Willow Jazz Club on a Monday night and marvel at the creative unleashing of this trio but mostly from the saxophones of George Garzone. This trio plays virtually one long set without stopping changing direction with immediate and effortless suggestions of a theme or any new musical reference cited by George. George is so strong, his ideas bounce out of his saxophone with attitude and infect every part of your soul with goodness and limitless energy for well over an hour, exploring every possible ‘sonic-ness’. There are no harmonic, melodic, rhythmic let’s face it musical limitations within their music and conceptions creating the most highly charged, spontaneous music you would hope to witness. George is the freest musical spirit and one of the most generous.

4. DAVE DOUGLAS QUINTET – Wangaratta Jazz Festival, 2002

While at Wang Jazz Fest, 2002, the buzz before they played and even before the CD ‘The Infinite’ had been released in Australia was check out Dave Douglas. And we did. I saw them perform each of the three times and I would have gone to see them in Sydney a few days later but ran out of cash. This band really impacted my being. Apart from the incredible music al abilities of Clarence Penn, James Genus, Rick Margitza, Uri Caine and its leader, Dave Douglas, were his compositions and arrangements. It blew me away. The dynamics., The structure. The colours. The sound. The concept. This music presented itself to me at a time when I needed to hear something fresh and inspiring and I readily allowed it to open up new worlds and understandings. This was the one gig that for me wasn’t about improvisation (although I would say that Uri Caine was the stand out) it was about the bigger picture. This was a band but it was all Dave Douglas.

5. MICHAEL BRECKER – Iridium (Nov 21 1996) and Birdland (Feb 6 1997), NYC, 1997

I saw 2 very different gigs led by the virtuoso saxophonist Michael Brecker. The first was his quartet at Iridium featuring Joey Calderazzo, James Genus and Jeff Taint-Watts and the second gig was at Birdland featuring Joey, Dave Holland, Pat Metheny and Jack DeJohnette. I had seen Michael Brecker in October 1988 in Boston at Berklee and that was amazing and surreal because he was the first modern player to capture my imagination whilst I was in high school. His work ethic is second to none. His technical arsenal is ready at will, his focus and the amount of energy he expends through his saxophone are immense producing a unique brilliance of tone unlike anyone but Brecker. But, these were the first gigs where I was forced to tear my attention away from the phenomenal output of the saxophone and focus in on the drums of ‘Tain’ and Jack. ‘Tain’ in particular on Brecker’s tune (Nothing Personal) had the entire club shift its attention quite visibly and erupt at this demonic reverse swung groove I’ll never forget it. ‘Tain’ is like this cat chasing you, someone mean and relentless just waiting to devour you. What a powerhouse supplier of energy and groove. Now, at Birdland, I believe in the promotion of the album “Two blocks From the Edge” sat Jack with a much bigger kit than with Keith surrounded by these great musicians and all I remember despite burning solos was that it was the Jack show. Not because of any one thing that he did but by the way he dominated. This band was firing on all cylinders but it would have been a lot different without the organic, percussive energy of Jack DeJohnette.