South Haven Jazz Festival 2026 September 18,19

Working on the new lineup for 2026!

Our featured artist last year. 

Tim Coffman is one of the most active trombonists and teachers in the Chicago area. A graduate of the prestigious Jazz Studies program at Indiana University, Mr. Coffman worked closely with famed jazz educator David Baker and the legendary trombone professor Keith Brown. He was awarded the Performer’s Certificate after his Senior Recital.

Mr. Coffman is in demand for studio and show work and has performed with Frank Sinatra, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Andy Williams, Natalie Cole, Lou Rawls, The Temptations, The O’Jays, Barry Manilow, Louie Bellson, The Woody Herman Orchestra, Frank Wess, Bassist Ron Carter, Johnny Griffin, Kurt Elling, Von Freeman, Tito Puente, Tom Harrell, Johnny Mathis, Paul Anka, Al Jarreau, Henry Mancini, Stevie Wonder, Diane Schur, Jimmy Heath, Randy Brecker, Benny Golson, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Joe Lovano, Lennie Niehaus, Slide Hampton, Diana Krall, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Aretha Franklin and many others. He performed in the pit for the world premiere of “The Producers” and also performed with the Chicago Symphony playing Lead Trombone in the Duke Ellington “Nutcracker.” He also performed on the recording of “Porgy and Bess” featuring Clark Terry and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra. This recording was nominated for Jazz Album of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association. In 2009, Mr. Coffman performed with the WDR Big Band in Cologne, Germany for two weeks, with special guest Arturo Sandoval. In 2015 and 2023, Mr. Coffman performed with the Buselli/Wallarab Jazz Orchestra for the American Pianists Association jazz piano competition, held in Indianapolis. In 2022, Mr. Coffman was on tour with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Mr. Coffman started teaching in the fall of 2015 at North Central College in Naperville, IL where he directs the big band and teaches applied arranging and composition lessons and applied jazz trombone lessons. He served as the Jazz Studies Coordinator at North Central from 2022-2024.

Mr. Coffman was a member of the Jazz Studies faculty at DePaul University from 1997-2021. There he taught jazz trombone, jazz improvisation, jazz history, low brass techniques and coached jazz combos. Before teaching at DePaul, he taught at New Trier High School as the trombone instructor and directed several jazz improvisation classes from 1990-2001. Mr. Coffman was also on faculty at Northwestern University during the 2015-2016 school year substituting for Vincent Gardner as the applied jazz trombone instructor. He was a regular member of the Rob Parton Big Band and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble formerly led by Jon Faddis. He is now a member of the New Standard Jazz Orchestra, the Buselli/Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, the Bob Lark Alumni Big Band and the Bob Lark Septet.

Mr. Coffman is excited to be an XO Brass Artist/Clinician. XO Brass is the professional line of Jupiter Music. He is playing on the new jazz trombones designed by John Fedchock, the model 1632-LT and the model 1634-LT. He also performs on the model 1240-L bass trombone. In addition, Mr. Coffman is an artist for Denis Wick mouthpieces and plays those exclusively. Mr. Coffman has performed/adjudicated at various high schools, jazz festivals and universities including Evanston HS, Rolling Meadows HS, Mundelein HS, Oak Park-River Forest HS, Wheeling HS, Purdue University, Furman University, The University of Wisconsin-River Falls, The University of New Mexico, DePauw University, The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Ball State University, Western Illinois University and many others.

In January of 2017, Mr. Coffman was the Artist in Residence for the Purdue University Jazz Festival. Since 2023, Mr. Coffman has been a teaching artist for the Jazz Institute of Chicago, which gives educational clinics to Chicago Public School music students. From 1992-2019, he was on the faculty for the famed Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop at the University of Louisville.

Mr. Coffman completed his first recording in 2005 entitled Crossroads ( https://a.co/d/dzIzNf6 ), which is available on the Blujazz label. Recent recordings include Western Skies, a sextet co-led by trumpet player Michael Hackett, which was released by Summit Records in 2022. Also in 2022, Mr. Coffman played lead trombone on the recording entitled The Gennett Suite, by the Buselli/Wallarab Jazz