Saxophonist, Composer Paul Jeffrey Dies

Paul Jeffrey in 1988

Duke Flags
March 20, 2015
DURHAM, NC - Saxophonist and composer Paul Jeffrey, director of Jazz Studies and professor of the practice of music at Duke University, died on Friday following a lengthy illness at age 81.

Jeffrey earned a bachelor of science degree in music education at Ithaca College before moving to New York City, where he began a lifelong friendship with Sonny Rollins. An acclaimed tenor saxophonist, Jeffrey worked closely with Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus and other jazz legends before coming to Duke in 1983, where he served as director of Jazz Studies until his retirement in 2003.

Jeffrey built up the jazz program during his time at Duke, mentoring a number of students who have become notable jazz musicians, including Todd Bashore (T’95, alto sax), Jeb Patton (T’96, piano) and Geoff Burke (T’99, tenor sax).


Jeffrey’s influence as an educator extended far beyond campus. He was artistic director of the Aspen Jazz Festival, as well as for jazz clinics at the Riveria Jazz Festival in Dolo/Venice and Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy. In 2000, a school of jazz music was created in his name in Cairo Montenotte near Genoa.

read more: https://today.duke.edu/2015/03/pauljeffrey