A lifetime of passion

Jefri Payne, commonly known as Jef with one f, is a walking, talking and living example of passion being manifested. As a middle school youth, growing up in Gary Indiana, Jef picked up a passion for playing the trumpet. This passion would lead him to go on to attend and graduate from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It’s this same passion that would drive Jef to teach band, orchestra, choir, piano and music theory in public schools for close to three decades. All the while keeping the flame of being a working musician alive, playing the instrument he’s loved since his youth and even establishing his own band, The Jef Payne Quartet. (Photos provided/Ron-China Jackson) Even more so, it was this same passion, that at age 54, urged him to take another stab at moving his music career and artistry a step forward by rereleasing music recorded earlier in his career. Timing is everything and pursuing his passion at this precise moment allows for it to be heard and shared around the world at the touch of a button. “I am so excited about sharing some of my original music with the city of...