Moe Koffman

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Morris "Moe" Koffman (born December 28, 1928 in Toronto , Ontario , † March 28, 2001 in Orangeville , Ontario) was a Canadian jazz musician ( flutes , soprano, alto and tenor saxophone, clarinet).

Koffman attended the Toronto Conservatory of Music but left the Conservatory without a degree to play in dance bands. In 1950 he went to the United States, where he was active in the bands of Sonny Dunham and Jimmy Dorsey , but also in other big bands. In 1955 he returned to Toronto, where he started his own combo . The first recordings under his own name were very successful; his "Swinging Shepherd Blues" reached number 28 in the American charts in 1958 and made him known in America as a flautist similar to Herbie Mann or Yusef Lateef .

Encouraged by Rahsaan Roland Kirk , Koffman played different instruments (such as alto and tenor saxophone) at the same time and also dealt with circular breathing early on . He not only worked on the jazz scene, but also in the studios, where he was recognized as a bass flutist .

In the 1970s, Koffman recorded various albums with arrangements of works by classical composers such as Bach , Mozart or Vivaldi , which were created in collaboration with Doug Riley . He was also on tour as a guest soloist with various symphony orchestras in Canada, but was also regularly heard at George's Spaghetti House in Toronto, whose jazz program he also organized. During the 1980s he performed with Dizzy Gillespie and from 1991 with Peter Appleyard . In addition, he often made music with the groups of Rob McConnell .

Koffman received the William Harold Moon Award from PRO Canada in 1981; In 1991 he was awarded the Art Prize of the City of Toronto. In 1993 he was honored with the Order of Canada . In 1993 and 1994 he was nominated for Flautist of the Year in the Annual Jazz Report Awards . In 1997 he was honored with induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame .

Discographic notes

  • Hot And Cool Sax (1957)
  • The Shepherd Swings Again (1958)
  • Tales Of Koffman (1962)
  • The Moe Koffman Quartet (1963)
  • Moe Koffman Goes Electric (1967)
  • The Four Seasons (1972)
  • Master Session (1973)
  • Things are looking up (1978)
  • Back to Bach (1979)
  • Oop pop a Da with Dizzy Gillespie (1989) (Universal)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Canadian Music Hall of Fame - Inductees. Canadian Music Hall of Fame , accessed August 6, 2017 .
personal data
SURNAME Koffman, Moe
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Koffman, Morris
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH December 28, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Toronto
DATE OF DEATH March 28, 2001
Place of death Orangeville, Ontario