Theodore McCord (born May 17, 1907,

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

; date of death unknown) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

reedist, principally active in the 1920s and 1930s. McCord was the twin brother of

Castor McCord Castor "Cass" McCord (May 17, 1907 — February 14, 1963) was an American jazz saxophonist, born in Alabama's largest city, Birmingham, who, with his twin brother, clarinetist and alto saxophonist Ted McCord, started out, at age 17, as a member ...

, also a reedist; while both brothers played tenor saxophone and clarinet, Ted played alto saxophone in addition. He was a student at

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates in t ...

in the 1920s, where he played in a student group led by Horace Henderson. He also played in

Edgar Hayes Edgar Junius Hayes (May 23, 1902 – June 28, 1979) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, Hayes attended Wilberforce University, where he graduated with a degree in music in the early 1920 ...

's group, the Blue Grass Buddies, as well as

McKinney's Cotton Pickers McKinney's Cotton Pickers were an American jazz band, founded in Detroit, Michigan, United States in 1926, and led by William McKinney, who expanded his Synco Septet to ten players. Cuba Austin took over for McKinney on drums, with the latter bec ...

and the

Mills Blue Rhythm Band The Mills Blue Rhythm Band was an American big band active during the 1930s. The band was formed in New York City, United States, in 1930 by drummer Willie Lynch as the Blue Rhythm Band, and then briefly operated as the Coconut Grove Orchestra. ...

, including for their sessions with

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

. Other credits include recordings with

King Carter Robert "King" Carter (4 August 1663 – 4 August 1732) was a merchant, planter and powerful politician in colonial Virginia. Born in Lancaster County, Carter eventually became one of the richest men in the Thirteen Colonies. As President of t ...

and the singer Ollie Shepard.Marcel Joly, "Ted McCord". ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', ed.

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at U ...

, 1991, p. 728.

References

American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists 1907 births Year of death missing Jazz musicians from Alabama American male jazz musicians Mills Blue Rhythm Band members McKinney's Cotton Pickers members {{US-jazz-saxophonist-stub