A University of Miami alum, beloved teacher, and musician, Don Coffman helped burnish the Frost Jazz Program’s extraordinary reputation. He also served as the program director of Jazz Pedagogy during his tenure and positively impacted his students and peers through the gift of music.
“Don Coffman was an impeccable musician, a master teacher, and a true gentleman,” said Shelton Berg, Dean of the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. "He changed the lives of legions of students, many of whom came from all over the country to celebrate Don upon his retirement from the Frost School in 2017. I was fortunate to be his colleague and to share the stage with him on many occasions.”
The son of Coffman Kenneth and Eunice Coffman, Don was born in New Jersey on November 7, 1939. He took music to heart from an early age, first as a trumpet player and then as a bass player. In the late 1960s, he began gigging professionally and performing with many jazz greats, including Sonny Stitt, Jerry Coker, Chet Baker, Ira Sullivan, Pat Metheny, Bill Watrous, Joe Pass, Michael and Randy Brecker, Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman, Red Rodney, Bill Evans, Larry Coryell, Kenny Drew Senior, Vince Maggio, Gary Campbell, among others.
Coffman joined the Frost School of Music faculty in the late 1970s, where he served for over 40 years. In contextualizing Don's legacy, Dr. Chuck Bergeron, professor of Jazz Bass at Frost said, “Don helped to shape the lives and careers of hundreds of students, many of whom hold prominent positions in academia and the music industry today. His innovations in the field of Jazz Pedagogy and his vision of developing the electric bass into a principal instrument were years ahead of their time in college curricula. The Frost family and the entire jazz and music education communities have lost a truly great and inspirational bassist, teacher, mentor, and friend.”
Coffman derived delight in sharing his gifts with future generations. On April 17, 2017, when he retired from Frost, Bergeron prepared a surprise party at the Maurice Gusman Concert Hall for him, inviting many of his former students. More than 50 alumni showed up from across the US to celebrate Don's new chapter in life, a testament to his strong impact and influence on students' lives.
Shortly after Coffman's passing, Frost alum Colin Trusedell, a booking agent and promoter at MyShowsLive, paid tribute to his mentor on Facebook. "Dang, man! Don Coffman truly turned around my life after the Navy. He advocated immensely for me at the Jazz Bass Studio, and I am truly grateful for all he did. He took my playing and perspective to another level and impacted many others. Rest in peace, maestro!”
Another Frost alum, Roy Vogt, who now serves as an electric and string bass instructor at the Wilson School of Music College of Musical and Performing Arts at Belmont University, also reached out after learning about Don’s passing. “My time as Don's Graduate Teaching Assistant was life-changing. Without his guidance, inspiration, knowledge, and encouragement, I would not be a professional bassist and educator. How he treated me is the Gold Standard I aspire to every day with my students at Belmont and beyond,” concluded Vogt.
Coffman is survived by his children, Brittany and Brian Coffman, and their mother, Diane Maggi. There will be a funeral for immediate family, and there will also be a Life Celebration gathering that will be open to all who knew, worked, and studied with Don (date to be announced soon).
