American jazz trumpeter Theodore “Ted” Curson was born June 3, 1935 and died November 4, 2012. Perhaps his greatest accomplishments are those of recording and performing with Charles Mingus. Curson was born in Philadelphia. Curson discovered the trumpet through watching a newspaper salesman playing a silver trumpet. Curson’s father preferred that Curson become an alto-saxophone player, like Louis Jordan. Ted received his first trumpet at the age of 10. Curson was a graduate of the Granoff School of Music, Philadelphia. Miles Davis suggested that Curson move to New York in 1956. In the 1950s and 1960s, Curson recorded and performed with Cecil Taylor. Many films have featured the Eric Dolphy tribute song “Tears for Dolphy”, which Curson composed in 1964. Curson was originally from Montclair, New Jersey. Curson was also a familiar face in Finland. He performed every year at the Pori Jazz festival since 1966. Curson was invited by President Tarja Halonen to perform at Finland’s Independence Day Ball in 2007. Curson was killed in a car accident on November 4, 2012. From Wikipedia
