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Ted Howe
Ted Howe was born in Boston, MA with a fascination for sound from the day he was born. A penchant for sound from a toddler may not always be a parent's dream. However, this love of sound grew as did that of the Red Sox from the attention he received from his Uncle Oly, who introduced him both to jazz and to baseball. Young Ted listened to every jazz album he could find, attended many jazz concerts and quickly found his favorites amongst Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, George Shearing, Dave Brubeck and Bill Evans.
Ted began studying piano in his tender teens with Harry Smith one of the legendary founders of the Berklee College Of Music. Ted's natural persistence and relentless fascination of developing his craft dominated his life. He soon became not only a student at Berklee, but a professor of piano arranging, theory and improvisation — all before reaching the age of 24.
After a two year stint as a pianist in the Army, Ted took a gig at one of Boston's leading live entertainment venues, The Surf Supper Club where he soon became bandleader playing and conducting for some of the biggest acts of the time. It was at the Surf that Howe honed his craft of arranging — a strong point that to this day sets him aside from other gifted pianists.
Ted moved his family to Atlanta where he continued performing, composing, arranging, producing and teaching. Again, Howe shared the stage with many of the great jazz artists and entertainers of the day and he continued building relationships with performers who called on his services each time they came to town, such as Mel Torme — who refused to sing with anyone else on his visits to Atlanta.
Howe also joined the faculty of Georgia State University where he assisted in developing its first jazz education program.
Now living in Los Angeles and a Summit Records recording artist, Ted continues to record, produce, arrange and perform extensively. His latest CD, "Love Song", pays homage to Harold Alren, Cole Porter and James Van Heusen in a significantly new way.
Love Song debuts four of Howe's own love songs, written with his partner, lyricist and Executive Producer, Rebekah Miller. The Miller & Howe songs are lovingly sung by star of stage, film and television, Lainie Kazan, and renowned jazz baritone, Giacomo Gates.
Ted has two other releases on Summit Records. The first, "Ellington", which was an “accidental” CD evolved from Howe's touring show which paid homage to his idol. It was recorded strictly for choreography purposes so that a local dance company could turn the show into a ballet. The music felt like a CD from the start. So Ted added a few tunes, playing with his longtime friends, bassist Neal Starkey and drummer Jerry Fields. The album has continued to enjoy rave reviews and had a lengthy stay on the Jazzweek airplay chart.
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The Ted Howe Jazz Orchestra: Pinnacle
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Ted Howe offered up one of the finest of Duke Ellington tributes, the piano trio set titled simply Ellington (Summit Records, 2005). It was a heartfelt ride through some of The Duke's most familiar tunes, swinging mightily. He now steps up into Ellington-ian ensemble territory with Pinnacle, by his thirteen piece Ted Howe Jazz Orchestra. In the old is it classical, is it jazz?" discussion, Pinnacle definitely leans classical--but it does swing. Opening with Presto for Two ...
read moreThe Ted Howe Jazz Orchestra: Pinnacle
by Jack Bowers
Big bands come at the listener from a variety of angles these days, some more aslant than others. On Pinnnacle, Los Angeles-based composer / arranger / pianist Ted Howe covers all the bases, navigating his thirteen-piece orchestra through styles ranging from swing to funk, Latin to tone poem, often with classical undertones. Howe gives credit for his eclectic approach to the late Herb Pomeroy, with whom he studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and afterward by late-night ...
read moreTed Howe: Elton Exposed
by Jim Santella
Ted Howe's tribute album, subtitled Revealing the Jazz Soul of Elton John, takes a mellow piano excursion through territory that few jazz artists find the time to consider. Howe's piano trio transforms each pop song into a straight-ahead jazz medium filled with the swing and sway of Elton's gentle emotions. In Howe's hands, pop music swings like Ellington and sways like Basie.
Howe explores each melody with finesse. Partnering with acoustic bass and drums, he settles in comfortably ...
read moreTed Howe: Ellington
by Glenn Astarita
The purpose of this recording was for pianist Ted Howe's (Duke) Ellington Show to be choreographed for an Atlanta, Georgia-based dance troupe. Thankfully, Howe and his trio recorded a portion of the Duke's songbook for mass consumption, while exuding a cheery and indubitably upbeat vibe along the way. Fused with snappy rhythms, Latin slants, and brisk swing vamps, the trio succeeds at instilling a personalized approach into familiar territory.
Howe simply glides across his acoustic piano's keys, featuring ...
read moreTed Howe: Ellington
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Ted Howe missed the centennial of Duke Ellington's birth by six years with this release. In late '98 and '99 there were more tributes to the Duke spinning around out there than you could count. I don't recall anybody honoring Ellington via the piano trio route, though, and Duke himself rarely recorded in the format--Money Jungle (Blue Note, 1962), with bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach, stands out as an exception.On Ellington, the pianist and his ...
read morePrimary Instrument
Keyboards
Location
Los Angeles
Willing to teach
Intermediate to advanced
Credentials/Background
* Now teaching online (viz Skype/Zoom). Visit TedHowe.com for more information.
Photos
Music
Simply Smooth
From: Simply SmoothBy Ted Howe
Midnight on the Beach
From: Love SongBy Ted Howe