Teddy Charles (April 13, 1928 – April 16, 2012) 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 ...

musician and composer, whose instruments were the

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

, and

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Career

Born Theodore Charles Cohen in

Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts Chicopee ( ) is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 55,560, making it the second-largest city in Western Massachusetts after Springfield. ...

, United States, he studied at the Juilliard School of Music as a percussionist. Later he began to record and made personal appearances as Teddy Cohen with bands as a vibraphonist, writing, arranging, and producing records. In 1951, he changed his last name to Charles. Charles was one of many jazz musicians who hung out at an apartment building at 821 Sixth Avenue, in New York City, known as the Jazz Loft rented by photographer and artist David X. Young, who in turn sublet two apartments to

Hall Overton Hall Franklin Overton (February 23, 1920 – November 24, 1972) was an American composer, jazz pianist and music teacher. He was born in Bangor, Michigan, the first of the three sons of Stanford and Ruth (Barnes) Overton. He grew up in Grand Rapi ...

(Charles's mentor) and

Dick Cary Richard Durant Cary (July 10, 1916 – April 6, 1994) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Cary earned a bachelor's degree in music from Wesleyan University in 1938 and star ...

. Known as an innovator, Charles's main work was recorded in the 1950s, with polytonal albums such as ''New Directions'', ''Collaboration: West'', ''

Word from Bird ''Word from Bird'' is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Teddy Charles released on the Atlantic label in 1957.Cohen, N.The Teddy Charles Discographyaccessed September 8, 2015 Reception Allmusic calls the album "enjoyable". Track listing '' ...

'', and ''

The Teddy Charles Tentet ''The Teddy Charles Tentet'' is a 1956 jazz album featuring a tentet led by multi-instrumentalist Teddy Charles. Critically well received, the album is listed as one of the "Core Collection" albums in ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' and an essential ...

''. He was a

studio musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

for

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...

Shelly Manne Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, s ...

, and Dion. From the mid-1950s onwards, Charles worked primarily as a record producer. He was also a co-leader of

the Prestige Jazz Quartet ''The Prestige Jazz Quartet'' is an eponymous album by the group nominally by jazz vibraphonist Teddy Charles recorded in 1957 for the Prestige label.Cohen, NTeddy Charles Discography accessed July 26, 2013 Reception The Allmusic review by Thom ...

. He recorded an album, ''Live at the Verona Jazz Festival'', for

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

in 1988. Charles was captain of the 1906 wooden schooner ''Mary E'' he purchased in 1973 and restored, and later captained the boat ''Pilgrim'' out of Greenport, New York (on the North Fork of Long Island) and performed music locally. In his last years, he began performing again after spending some years at sea. His last recording was the 2011 collaboration with Wily Bo Walker and Danny Flam featuring the song "

You Don't Know What Love Is "You Don't Know What Love Is" is a popular song of the Great American Songbook, written by Don Raye (lyrics) and Gene de Paul (music) for the Abbott and Costello film '' Keep 'Em Flying'' (1941), in which it was sung by Carol Bruce. The song was ...

". He died of heart failure in 2012, aged 84.

Discography

As leader

* ''Adventures in California'' (Fresh Sound Records, 1953) * ''New Directions'' (Prestige, 1954) * ''

'' (Atlantic, 1956) * '' Collaboration West'' (Prestige, 1956) * ''

'' (Atlantic 1229, 1956) * ''3 for Duke'' (Jubilee, 1957) * ''

The Prestige Jazz Quartet ''The Prestige Jazz Quartet'' is an eponymous album by the group nominally by jazz vibraphonist Teddy Charles recorded in 1957 for the Prestige label.Cohen, NTeddy Charles Discography accessed July 26, 2013 Reception The Allmusic review by Thom ...

'' (Prestige, 1957) * ''

'' (Atlantic, 1957) * ''

Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

'' (Prestige, 1957) * ''Vibe-Rant'' (Elektra, 1957) * '' Coolin''' (New Jazz, 1959) * ''Salute to Hamp'' (Bethlehem, 1959) * '' Jazz in the Garden at the Museum of Modern Art'' (Warwick, 1960) * ''On Campus: Ivy League Jazz Concert'' (Bethlehem, 1960) * ''Russia Goes Jazz'' (United Artists, 1964) * ''Live at the Verona Jazz Festival 1988'' (Soul Note, 1989) * ''Dances with Bulls'' (Smalls, 2008)

As sideman

With

* ''East Coasting'' (Bethlehem, 1957) * ''Town Hall Concert'' (United Artists, 1962) * ''Nostalgia in Times Square/The Immortal 1959 Sessions'' (Columbia, 1979) * ''Mingus Dynasty'' (Columbia, 1960) With

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

* '' Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington'' (Columbia Records, 1964) With others * Australian Jazz Quintet, ''Modern Jazz Performance of Kurt Weill's Three Penny Opera'' (Bethlehem, 1958) *

Bob Brookmeyer Robert Edward "Bob" Brookmeyer (December 19, 1929 – December 15, 2011) was an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, arranger, and composer. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of Ge ...

, ''

The Dual Role of Bob Brookmeyer ''The Dual Role of Bob Brookmeyer'' is an album by jazz trombonist and pianist Bob Brookmeyer recorded in 1954 and 1955 for the Prestige label.Cohen, NTeddy Charles Discography accessed July 29, 2013 Reception The Allmusic review by Scott Yano ...

'' (Prestige, 1956) * Bob Brookmeyer, ''Street Swingers'' (World Pacific, 1958) *

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop m ...

Pepper Adams Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III (October 8, 1930 – September 10, 1986) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 42 pieces, was the leader on eighteen albums spanning 28 years, and participated in 600 sessions as a s ...

, ''Out of This World'' (Warwick, 1961) *

, ''

Blue Moods ''Blue Moods'' is the second studio album by Miles Davis, released on Charles Mingus' Debut Records label in late 1955. It brings Miles Davis on trumpet together with Charles Mingus on bass, trombonist Britt Woodman, vibraphonist Teddy Charles, ...

'' (Debut, 1955) *

Rusty Dedrick Lyle "Rusty" Dedrick (12 July 1918 – 25 December 2009) was an American swing and bebop jazz trumpeter and composer born in Delevan, New York, probably better known for his work with Bill Borden, Dick Stabile, Red Norvo, Ray McKinley and Cl ...

, ''A Jazz Journey'' (Monmouth, 1965) *

Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings. Early life Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 1932. ...

Hampton Hawes Hampton Barnett Hawes Jr. (November 13, 1928 – May 22, 1977) was an American jazz pianist. He was the author of the memoir ''Raise Up Off Me'', which won the Deems-Taylor Award for music writing in 1975. Early life Hampton Hawes was born on N ...

, ''Curtis Fuller and Hampton Hawes with French Horns'' (Status, 1965) *

Wardell Gray Wardell Gray (February 13, 1921 – May 25, 1955) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods. Biography Early years Gray was born in Oklahoma City, the youngest of four children. He spent his early chi ...

, ''Memorial Volume One'' (Prestige, 1955) *

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Biography Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, U ...

, '' Olio'' (Prestige, 1957) *

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...

, ''Ezz-thetic'' (New Jazz, 1964) *

Eric Kloss Eric Kloss (born April 3, 1949) is an American jazz saxophonist. Music career Kloss was born blind in Greenville, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, and attended the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind, which was run by his father. When he was 1 ...

, ''

Grits & Gravy ''Grits & Gravy'' is an album by saxophonist Eric Kloss which was recorded in 1966 and released on the Prestige label.

'' (Prestige, 1967) * Alonzo Levister, ''Manhattan Monodrama'' (Debut, 1957) *

Teo Macero Attilio Joseph "Teo" Macero (October 30, 1925 – February 19, 2008) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. He was a producer at Columbia Records for twenty years. Macero produced Miles Davis' ''Bitches Brew'', and Dave ...

, '' Teo'' (Prestige, 1957) * Mary Ann McCall, ''Detour to the Moon'' (Jubilee, 1958) *

Gil Melle Gil or GIL may refer to: Places * Gil Island (disambiguation), one of several islands by that name * Gil, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran * Hil, Azerbaijan, also spelled ''Gil, a village in Azerbaijan * Hiloba, also spelled ''Gil, ...

, ''Gil's Guests'' (Prestige, 1956) *

Metronome All-Stars The Metronome All-Stars were a collection of jazz musicians assembled for studio recordings by ''Metronome Magazine'', based on its readers' polls. The studio sessions were held in the years 1939-42, 1946–53, and 1956, and typically consisted of ...

, ''

Metronome All-Stars 1956 ''Metronome All-Stars 1956'' was the final album by the Metronome All-Stars, a loose amalgamation of musicians representing winners of ''Metronome'' magazine's annual poll. This 1956 release contains four tracks documenting the first collaborati ...

'' (Clef, 1956) *

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City, ...

& George Russell, ''Modern Jazz Concert'' (Columbia, 1958) *

Harold Vick Harold Vick (April 3, 1936 – November 13, 1987) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. Biography Harold Vick was born on April 3, 1936 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. At the age of 13 he was given a clarinet by his uncle, Prince Robin ...

, ''Watch What Happens'' (RCA Victor, 1968)

References

External links

Official Teddy Charles site. Book musical gigs and sailing cruises.Teddy Charles discographyCompositions of Teddy CharlesTeddy Charles articleCap'n Ted on the Mary E
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Teddy Jewish American jazz composers American jazz pianists American male pianists American jazz vibraphonists Cool jazz pianists 1928 births 2012 deaths Jazz musicians from New York (state) Musicians from New York City Jazz musicians from Massachusetts People from Chicopee, Massachusetts Prestige Records artists Savoy Records artists Jewish American musicians Jewish jazz musicians 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American composers American male jazz composers American jazz composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century jazz composers 21st-century American Jews Jazz vibraphonists