Ted Curson | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | June 3, 1935
Died | November 4, 2012 Montclair, New Jersey | (aged 77)
Genres | Jazz, avant-garde jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Trumpet |
Years active | 1955–2012 |
Labels | Prestige, Fontana, Atlantic, Freedom, Futura, Marge, Trident, Whynot, Inner City, Chiaroscuro |
Theodore Curson (June 3, 1935 – November 4, 2012) was an American jazz trumpeter.[1][2]
Curson was born in Philadelphia.[1] He became interested in playing trumpet after watching a newspaper salesman play a silver trumpet.[3] Curson's father, however, wanted him to play alto saxophone like Louis Jordan.[3] When he was ten, he gained his first trumpet.[3]
He attended Granoff School of Music in Philadelphia.[4] At the suggestion of Miles Davis, he moved to New York in 1956.[1] He performed and recorded with Cecil Taylor in the late 1950s and early 1960s.[1][5] His composition "Tears for Dolphy" has been used in numerous films.[6][7][8] He was featured in a profile on composer Graham Collier in the 1985 Channel 4 documentary 'Hoarded Dreams' [9]
He was a familiar face in Finland, having performed at the Pori Jazz festival every year since it began in 1966.[2] In 2007, he performed at Finland's Independence Day Ball at the invitation of president Tarja Halonen.[10]
A longtime resident of Montclair, New Jersey,[11] Curson died from a heart attack in the township on November 4, 2012.[2]
With Bill Barron
With Charles Mingus
With Cecil Taylor
With others