Symbiosis

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In these days of ‘everything has already been done’, Symbiosis may very well be a historical first in the world of non-classical saxophone recordings. Two saxophones. No rhythm section. Full recording.

Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band/Bela Fleck & the Flecktones) and Derek Brown (BEATBoX SAX - Over 40,000,000 views across social media) wrote, recorded, and produced this brilliant music over a four day period in Nashville, Tennessee. You can immediately hear the chemistry and symbiotic relationship between these two great friends and musicians from the first notes played.

When you listen you will likely assume Jeff & Derek overdubbed various parts but what you’re hearing, with the exception of one track, are all one take performances. No overdubs. No electronics. No kidding.

Derek’s innovative approach (he has been compared to the great body vocalist Bobby McFerrin) uses extended techniques which allow him to sound like a rhythm section and a saxophone all at once while Jeff’s virtuosic playing soars in and throughout the entire recording. 

The breadth of music on Symbiosis is clear and the ripple effect of this recording will be felt for many years to come.

CDs available upon request, contact: Alex@JeffCoffin.com

www.jeffcoffin.com

www.derekbrownsax.com 

TRACKLIST:

01) Chunk (Coffin/Brown) [3:39]
JC - tenor sax
Derek - baritone sax

02) The Belly Crawl (Coffin/Brown) [4:44]
JC - tenor sax
Derek - tenor sax

03) Up Jump (Coffin) [1:35]
JC - tenor sax
Derek - tenor sax

04) Roundabout (Coffin/Brown) [3:51]
JC - tenor sax
Derek - baritone sax

05) The Mirage (Coffin/Brown) [4:20]
JC - tenor sax
Derek - tenor sax

06) The Mess Around (Coffin/Brown) [3:40]
JC - tenor sax
Derek - tenor sax

07) Somewhere I Can’t Recall (Coffin/Brown) [4:29]
JC - tenor sax / bass flute / bass clarinet / clarinet
Derek - tenor sax / sax percussion / wind

Otani Music/BMI
Derek Brown Music/ASCAP

RECORDING INFO:

Produced by Jeff Coffin & Derek Brown

Recorded @ ITA Studio / Nashville, TN Nov 13-15, 2019

Engineered by Jeff Coffin

Mixed by Russ Long

Master by Jim DeMain @ Yes Mastering

Videographer Matt Jefferson

Microphone Info:

Jeff microphone - Townsend Lab TLL22 Stereo Mic

Derek microphones - Lawson 47 (main), AEA44 (secondary main), SHURE KSM44 (side/mouth & hand)

FROM JEFF:

Most of these compositions came out of jams Derek and I recorded. We would play for a bit, pick pieces of the jams, rework them, arrange them, come up with cohesive ideas and strong melodic lines, and then record. It was a very interesting and musically satisfying process, especially given what Derek brings to the table with all his crazy rhythmic devices and extended techniques. He is a walking rhythm section! The Jesse Fuller of the saxophone!! 

Everything you hear was recorded with no overdubbing with the exception of the 5/4 tune. This was a collaborative piece and it really needed more than what we were able to do by ourselves. It needed more thickness and color and, in the end, I added bass clarinet, bass flute, and clarinet. The other tunes were solid with what we each brought to them but this one needed that little something extra.

The only other anomaly here is The Mess Around. This came entirely from a jam we had done. Still no overdubs or the like. After we had finished everything else, I went in and found sections I liked, put them together and sent it to Derek to check out. I did this a few times to get the tune like we wanted it. Finding the pieces was like discovering buried treasure in the sand. I had to dig around and get creative with my editing but it was lots of fun and a challenge to make it work. But work, it did, and we both think it sounds pretty cool!!

It was a great experience working with Derek this closely over the period of ¾ days and we had a great time together making music. We hope you enjoy this music as much as we do.

FROM DEREK:

One could easily be intimidated by the idea of playing with someone like Jeff Coffin, who has played and is playing with some of the biggest names in music. But when in the act, it can feel like you’ve been playing together for years, with Jeff’s positive, adaptive, and “anything-goes” attitude and style. And because of this extremely giving spirit, we were somehow able to both write and record an album in just a few days! They were definitely busy days, but extremely gratifying bouncing ideas of each other and exploring what’s possible with just two acoustic saxophonists stuck in a room together. 

And despite that limitation, I love the variety of tunes we came up with. From a meandering 5/4 tune (the only one with overdubbing) to fast, upbeat jams; from the avant garde to funk, writing and playing with Jeff definitely brought out a different side of my own playing and composing, and who knows? Maybe I got to bring out a bit of that from Jeff as well...