Award-winning journalist and jazz expert Nat Hentoff to speak at Fairfield University | Press Releases

Image: Nat Hentoff Nat Hentoff, a renowned author, journalist and authority on jazz, will speak about the history of jazz and the current music scene on Monday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. at Fairfield University's Wien Experimental Theatre. The Fairfield University music program and the College of Arts and Sciences are sponsoring the event, which is free and open to the public.

In a career that's spanned nearly 50 years, Hentoff has met many jazz icons, from Miles Davis and John Coltrane to Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. Brian Torff, director of the Fairfield University music program and a jazz bassist, will join Hentoff as he remembers jazz legends he's known and discusses his views on the future of the genre. Throughout the evening, Torff and pianist Florence Melnotte will play compositions by jazz masters.

"Nat Hentoff is one of the most respected and insightful writers on American jazz and his visit to Fairfield will be an honor for the students and myself as well," Torff said.

Known for his weekly articles in The Village Voice and music columns in The Wall Street Journal, Hentoff is an award-winning writer of several books on jazz, politics and human rights. They include "A Doctor Among Addicts," "The Day They Came to Arrest the Book" and "Listen to the Stories: Nat Hentoff on Jazz and Country Music."

Hentoff's passion for music was evident early on in his career. After studying at Northeastern and Harvard universities and completing a Fulbright fellowship at the Sorbonne in Paris, he became associate editor of Down Beat magazine. He was a staff writer for The New Yorker for more than 25 years and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, Commonweal and The Atlantic Monthly.

Hentoff has won several awards for his work, including the National Press Foundation Award for Distinguished Contributions to Journalism. He is also a recipient of the Thomas Szasz Award for Contributions to the Cause of Civil Liberties, and the 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award for the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.

Reservations are required for the discussion. To reserve a seat, call the Regina A. Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396.