Jeff’s love for drumming began when he was in the 6th grade. He discovered his passion for the same when he first attended Shenandoah Conservatory of Music. In order to improve on his skills, Jeff later applied to the Berkeley School of Music where he was accepted in 1977. He also attended clinics conducted by Alan Dawson and was later coached and mentored by Lee Venters. While he was in Berkeley School of Music he spent time with other musicians like Branford Marsalis, Mike Stern, Bill, and Jeff Watts.
During his education, he also played in a band called “Winter” with Steve Vai and Baron Brown. In 1983, Jeff moved to Boston and began teaching at the Atlanta Institute for music. He spent his time practicing with local musicians and was later introduced to Bruce Hampton keyboardist that he collaborated with. As of now, Jeff is currently touring around the country with Mike Seal and Taylor Lee as the Tri that we speak about.
The other member of the trio is Mike Seal who is a guitarist from Tennessee. He is originally from Bridgewater and has resided in Tennessee for the last 10 years only. In the course of his career, Mike has been touring and recording with a number of different bands including Jeff Coffin Mu'tet, Robiella, Larkin Poe, and the Mountain Soul which is a bluegrass music group. Mike has also worked as a guest professor in certain southeast states of United States.
Taylor Lee is another important member of the group. He began his musical journey at the age of 8 years old. He began with studying guitar and was later encouraged to follow churchgoers in order to learn the true meaning of music. His skills have allowed him to excel at Bass Guitar which is also one of the reasons he has been identified as a musician. Taylor also attended the UNCW camp where he was awarded Most Outstanding Soloist award.