Music@ New Canaan Library welcomes Fairfield University professor Brian Q Torff, presenting a talk and musical program on songs that reflect the American experience over the centuries. The event takes place on Wednesday, November 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the Adrian Lamb Room. Please register online at newcanaanlibrary.org.

Professor, composer and bassist Brian Q. Torff will survey the important and influential songs of American popular music, from early slave songs and spirituals through the birth of jazz, popular singers such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis and Hank Williams, blues, rock, soul and the birth of hip hop. Torff will explore how these songs and music connect and reflect American life as it has evolved over hundreds of years.

Brian Q. Torff is a bassist, composer, author and educator. Currently he is a Professor of Music and Music Program Director at Fairfield University. He has performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and Birdland. Torff performs in jazz festivals throughout the United States and was the founder of the Fairfield University Summer Jazz Workshop. . He is the author of In Love With Voices: A Jazz Memoir which was published in 2008.