Mutants of Jazz'

The accolades and accomplishments on saxophonist Jeff Coffin's résumé are nothing to scoff at. There's the Grammy he helped take home as part of Bela Fleck & The Fleck Tones. Don't forget the stages and studio space he shared with Dave Matthews Band, Charlie Hunter, The Wailers, Widespread Panic and other A-list artists. Possibly the one bullet that stands out the most is what Rambles.net posted of Coffin and his jazz collective, Mu'tet.

In reference to their release Go-Round, Chet Williamson gushes, "'Only Love' is a slow and evocative ballad, but there's always a dangerous edge to Coffin's playing, even on a piece this pretty. Think of him as the anti-Kenny G."

Mu'tet, now on tour, includes the sax master, known to play two horns at once, and a band that reads like the who's who of backing jazz musicians. He is joined on his jaunt from smoky bar to smoke-free lounge by drummer Doug Belote, who toured with Phish's Mike Gordon; bassist Alana Rocklin; Tyler Woods on keyboard; and guitarist Pat "Happy" Bergeson who has lent an ax to Lyle Lovett. Said tour swings by 307 Jazz & Blues Club, 307 Jefferson St., Saturday, Feb. 7.

Mu'tet should be placed on the most-high pedestal for what seems like a mission to change the average American's perception of jazz. To your average suburb dweller, what is the fiery, experimental, free-flowing art form forged in our own Crescent City? The music playing on the ride up to the top floor of the hospital? Kenny G? If you played Mu'tet in any elevator, the cable would snap under their heady and heavy notes.

The collective's odd tag reflects the band's exploration of a wide variety of music and their ability to mutate their sound. Their repertoire is derived from all corners, including Second Line grooves, funk, reggae and Ornette Coleman tunes. A sampling of their record offers a spread full of snippets from acid jazz to an Italian opera-style weeper to the jazz of old vinyl hiding in your grandparents' stereophonic.

"What do we call it? We call it music," Coffin quips on his site.



nick.pittman@timesofacadiana.com