Ted Curson

Theodore "Ted" Curson (born June 3, 1935, died November 4, 2012) was a jazz trumpeter. He was perhaps best-known for recording and performing with Charles Mingus. Curson got interested in playing trumpet through the fact that the local newspaper salesman had a silver trumpet that he was playing on the streets while selling newspapers. Curson's father could not afford a trumpet and besides, he wanted Ted to become an alto player like his idol, Louis Jordan. Finally, when Ted was 10 years old, his father found an old trumpet for him in the Navy Yard. He soon after formed a band, the Bebop Trio, with friends from the neighbourhood. Curson attended Granoff Musical Conservatory. At the suggestion of Miles Davis, he moved to New York in 1956. In 1961 he recorded his first record with pianist Cecil Taylor. Curson was a resident of Montclair, New Jersey. He was also a honorary citizen of Pori, Finland.

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