Brian Torff Group’s new album, “Southern Exposure,” a great departure.
A JAZZ VETERAN TURNS AMERICANA SINGER-SONGWRITER
Release date: February 13, 2026, on all streaming platforms (self-release)
Guilford, Connecticut
Brian Torff is a renowned jazz bassist who has played with Frank Sinatra, George Shearing, Oliver Nelson, Stephane Grappelli and Mary Lou Williams. His artistic turnabout is revealed on the Brian Torff Group’s new album, “Southern Exposure.” Brian Torff Group- Southern Exposure. The Chicago-born Torff looks to the Deep South for his influences which feature his songwriting, guitar, and harmonica work in an unusual context featuring two tenor saxophones (Wes Lewis and Nathan Edwards) and drums, (Avery Collins). The album is a unique twist on Americana, whereby a bluesy vocal gives way to a jazz saxophone shout chorus, mixing with soulful harmonica and a driving roadhouse beat. It conjures Mose Allison meeting the Count Basie Orchestra in the Mississippi Delta. A Professor of Music at Fairfield University and an author of two books on American popular music, Brian Torff’s music and Civil Rights road trips to the South are featured in the band’s live performances. https://www.briantorff.com/s/Brian-epk.pdf
Torff’s original songs include ‘Good Trouble’, portraying his walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. “Bought His Tobacco Here’ was inspired by his visit to the grave of the blues phantom Robert Johnson outside Money, Mississippi. The Brian Torff Group’s tight arrangements allowed them to record the tracks in one or two takes at the Fairfield University Media Center in Fairfield, CT. “I believe in a live sound that captures a feeling, as if the listener is standing right in front of the band,” said Torff.
‘Southern Exposure’ by the Brian Torff Group represents a dramatic turn in Torff’s plus fifty-year career. Brian Torff may be contacted for interviews, reviews or features on his email address (briantorffbooking@gmail.com) and his website-www.briantorff.com. Thank you for your consideration.
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Brian Q. Torff
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Brian Q. Torff is a bassist, composer, author and educator. Currently, he is Professor of Music and Music Program Director at Fairfield University. Torff has performed with George Shearing, Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Stephane Grappelli, Marian McPartland, Oliver Nelson, Mary Lou Williams, the Django Reinhart All-Stars, Tony Bennett, Cleo Laine and the Thad Jones- Mel Lewis Orchestra. He is the Musical Director and arranger for New Duke, an eight-piece horn band that was featured on the national CBS television special, “Christmas Eve at Fairfield University.” In 1992, he served as co-chairperson for the Music Advisory Board for the National Endowment for the Arts and in 2008, Torff was named Artist of the Year by the Fairfield, Connecticut Arts Council. In early 2008, Brian Torff lived in Paris where he wrote In Love with Voices: A Jazz Memoir.
Brian Torff’s current book, Seize the Beat: The Evolution of American Popular Music, published by McFarland & Co, was written from Torff’s many research trips to the Deep South. The book and his subsequent presentations deal with race and music in America. He tours with the Brian Torff Group which draws musical and social influences from Torff’s Southern travels.
