Brian Payne was born in Manchester and raised in Cheshire. He graduated in English and American Literature at the University of East Anglia and was employed for a while as a technical editor for a publishing company. He then changed direction and after obtaining applied social science qualifications at LSE and Birmingham University he worked in social services and later managed local authority provision in London for 20 years. He was later employed in the Information Commissioner’s Office to investigate and write decisions concerning the withholding of public information. Perhaps the most edifying of these was ordering the release and publication of MPs’ expense claims that had been withheld by the House of Commons. Over the years Brian has written about and photographed live jazz performance in a variety of settings. Some of his work can be seen at brianpaynephotography.com.