Jeff Coffin and Charlie Peacock - "The Arc of the Circle"
(Runway Network)

First off, ARC OF THE CIRCLE is not exactly like anything you’ve ever heard. The closest contemporary references for it would be the musical flavors of Marty Ehrlich, Don Bryon, Dave Douglas, Uri Caine, and Marc Ribot (who contributes to the project). Foundationally, this is improvisational music first, with production values and arrangements brought to bear on what is essentially “two guys in a room playing together.” Yet, historically speaking, it is something like Keith Jarrett-era Charles Lloyd, or early Dewey Redman and Jarrett collaborations, with some aggressive Coltrane/McCoy type moments. There’s also a little Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Charles Ives, Ralph Vaughn Williams, and Paul Hindemith influences peeking through. Strangely, Coffin and Peacock also seem to be channeling the famous cartoon composers, like Philip A. Scheib, Carl Stalling, and Raymond Scott. Mix in some cut-up, glitch pop electronics with Fiddler On The Roof quotes, Ornette/Don Cherry leap frog intervals, and somehow, even with all the eclectic influences, the music remains bluesy and essentially American. Peacock’s Carla Bley and Andrew Hill composition influences are apparent throughout while Coffin’s mentor Joe Lovano lurks somewhere in the shadows. All of it a good thing, as these two improvisers and friends create yet another hybrid of jazz/not jazz, and stretch the boundaries of even the most current “beyond jazz” categories.'

JEFF COFFIN
Jeff Coffin, a well-traveled saxophonist/composer, and two-time Grammy Award winning member of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, rejects all labels and categories other than "music" and "musician."Since 1997, Coffin has traveled the world with the Flecktones, performing with musicians of all walks. He has shared the stage and recording studio with such diverse artists as The Dave Matthews Band, Branford Marsalis, DJ Logic, McCoy Tyner, Baaba Maal, Mike Clark's Prescription Trio, Chris Thile, Phish, Van Morrison, J.D. Souther, Vinnie Colaiuta, The Dixie Chicks, Bob Moses, Konger Ol Ondar, Stanton Moore, Del McCoury, John Scofield, Yonder Mountain String Band, Marc Broussard, the Wailers and many, many others. Along the way, Coffin has absorbed an astounding range of influences. "Whether it be New Orleans Second Line, African music, Indian Ragas, folk songs, Alan Lomax field recordings, jazz, or funk," he says, "the spirit and breath of the music is what I take away from listening and playing. It's what decides for me whether I like it or not."
As a highly in-demand clinician, Jeff has presented clinics from Farmington, Maine to Perth, Australia and is also an internationally acclaimed Yamaha and Vandoren Performing Artist since 2000.

CHARLIE PEACOCK
Grammy Award winning producer Charlie Peacock began his production/songwriting career while still a pop solo artist for A&M Records and later Island Records in the 1980s. Named by Billboard's Encyclopedia of Record Producers as one of the 500 most important record producers in music history, Charlie’s award-winning songwriting and production credits include Switchfoot, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Al Green, Audio Adrenaline, Avalon, dcTalk, Béla Fleck, Amy Grant, Sixpence None The Richer, and CeCe Winans.

In 2005 Charlie released his first commercial jazz/improvisational music project titled Love Press Ex-Curio. Charlie was joined by an all-star crew of heavyweight improvisers and jazz luminaries, including trumpeter Ralph Alessi, saxophonists Kirk Whalum, Jeff Coffin and Ravi Coltrane, bassists Victor Wooten and James Genus, guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and drummer Joey Baron. Love Press Ex-Curio received unanimously positive reviews, peaked at #4 after highest debut on the CMJ Jazz Charts, ending with a year-end showing of Top 40 overall. Charlie has recorded and performed with Marc Ribot, Don Alias, Scott Amendola, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Derrek Phillips, Maurice Brown, Hilmar Jensson Felix Pastorius, Ben Perowsky, Henry Robinett, Roger Smith, and Matt Wilson.