Author • Songwriter • Vocalist • Bassist • Guitarist • Harmonica
Brian Torff, after a career as a jazz bassist and composer that began in the 1970s, now creates music as a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and blues harmonica player. Torff has performed with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, George Shearing, Dizzy Gillespie, Erroll Garner, Mary Lou Williams, Stephane Grappelli and Marian McPartland, among others. As an author and Professor of Music at Fairfield University, Brian Torff combines his music history and Civil Rights research trips to the Deep South with dynamic songs that tell an American story. “We need to create new musical categories,” says Torff, “and I hope our music is a soundtrack to an American road trip, past and present.”
Legend of Robert Johnson, written by Torff, tells the story of the legendary blues singer and cultural phantom, Robert Johnson. Torff's lyrics were inspired from a visit to Johnson’s Mississippi gravesite on a rainy March afternoon.
The Brian Torff Group Now Booking 2024-2025 Concerts and Tours
Experience the powerful 90-minute live concert by The Brian Torff Group, featuring a dynamic trio with vocals, guitar, harmonica, saxophone, and drums. Their program blends original songs with classic Delta Blues, highlighting the profound impact of Black Music on American culture. Torff’s engaging on-stage stories draw from his extensive research on music and race in the Deep South, emphasizing the critical role of Black Music in Blues, Jazz, Country, Rock, and Pop. Download the EPK for more info and book now for the 2024-2025 season.
Photo credit: Jared Beltz