Jeff Pifher is an award-winning saxophonist, composer, and producer. Recently he has received wide recognition with the release of the self produced short documentary In the Same Direction: Jeff Pifher & Socrates’ Trial (2020) which chronicles Jeff and his band’s latest projects garnering 24 “Best Documentary” and “Best Music” awards from film festivals worldwide. With his band, Socrates’ Trial, he has released three studio recordings and one live recording since 2018: Socrates’ Trial (2018), Alternate Futures/Past Realities (2019), Anthem (2019), and Live at Bluewhale (2020). Jeff has recently performed with his band at the Jazz Education Network Conference 2023 (Orlando, FL) and Catalina Jazz Club (Los Angeles, CA). He is currently a member of the Recording Academy and on faculty at Idyllwild Arts Academy.

Jeff is executive producer on Somewhere, a short film musical centering around immigration reform featuring cast members from Wicked, Glee, American Idol, The Voice, and America’s Got Talent. He is also composer and lyricist for the film. In 2020 he produced Writing for Strings Masterclass featuring arrangements of his original music by Harlan Hodges (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, League of Legends).

Jeff has received degrees from Eastman School of Music (B.M., ’07) and University of Miami (M.M., ’11) as well as a graduate certificate in arts entrepreneurship and leadership from the University of Southern California. He has been a teaching artist through the Herbie Hancock Institute and UCLA program Jazz in the Classroom.