Morris “Moe” Koffman was a Canadian jazz saxophonist, flautist, and composer who was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1928. He achieved early professional recognition in 1957 with the release of his debut studio recording Cool and Hot Sax, which was one of the first full-length albums by a Canadian jazz musician. Koffman is famous for the hit single “The Swingin' Shepherd Blues” (1957), which reached number 4 in Canada and number 23 on the United Kingdom charts, and for composing the tracks “Curried Soul” and “Koff Drops”, which have served as the theme music for the radio program As It Happens since 1972. Throughout his career, he performed as a long-time member of Rob McConnell's Boss Brass and booked performers for the venue George's Spaghetti House in Toronto. For his contributions to music, Koffman was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada (1993) and inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame (1997). He died in 2001.
