Teddy Charles, born Theodore Charles Cohen (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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musician and composer, whose instruments were the vibraphone,

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

, and

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

Career

Born Theodore Charles Cohen in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, 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 (Charles's mentor) and Dick Cary. 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'', and '' The Teddy Charles Tentet''. He was a studio musician for

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

, Charles Mingus, Shelly Manne, 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. He recorded an album, ''Live at the Verona Jazz Festival'', for Soul Note 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". He died of heart failure in 2012, aged 84.

Discography

As leader

* ''West Coasters'' ( Prestige, 7" EP, 1953) * ''New Directions 3'' (Prestige, 10" LP, 1953; rel. 1954) * ''New Directions 4'' (Prestige, 10" LP, 1954) * '' The Teddy Charles Tentet'' ( Atlantic 1229, 1956) * '' Collaboration West'' (Prestige, 1956) * ''3 for Duke'' (Jubilee, 1957) * '' The Prestige Jazz Quartet'' (Prestige, 1957) * '' Word from Bird'' (Atlantic, 1957) * ''

Evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

'' (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)

Reissues

* ''Adventures in California'' (Fresh Sound Records, 2006; reissue of ''West Coasters'' and ''New Directions 4'') * ''Dances with Bulls'' (Smalls, 2008)

As sideman

With Bob Brookmeyer * '' The Dual Role of Bob Brookmeyer'' (Prestige, 1956) – rec. 1954–1955 * ''Street Swingers'' (World Pacific, 1958) With Charles Mingus * ''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 others * Australian Jazz Quintet, ''Modern Jazz Performance of Kurt Weill's Three Penny Opera'' (Bethlehem, 1958) * Donald Byrd & Pepper Adams, '' Out of This World'' (Warwick, 1961) *

, '' Blue Moods'' (Debut, 1955) * Rusty Dedrick, ''A Jazz Journey'' (Monmouth, 1965) *

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

, '' Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington'' (Columbia Records, 1964) * Curtis Fuller & Hampton Hawes, ''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 saxophone, tenor saxophonist. Biography Early years The youngest of four children, Gray was born in Oklahoma City. He spent his early childhood years in Oklahoma b ...

, ''Memorial Volume One'' (Prestige, 1955) * Thad Jones, '' Olio'' (Prestige, 1957) * Lee Konitz, ''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 Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, which was run by his father. When he was ...

, '' Grits & Gravy'' (Prestige, 1967) * Alonzo Levister, ''Manhattan Monodrama'' (Debut, 1957) * Teo Macero, '' Teo'' (Prestige, 1957) * Mary Ann McCall, ''Detour to the Moon'' (Jubilee, 1958) * Gil Melle, ''Gil's Guests'' (Prestige, 1956) * Metronome All-Stars, '' Metronome All-Stars 1956'' (Clef, 1956) * Gunther Schuller & George Russell, ''Modern Jazz Concert'' (Columbia, 1958) * Harold Vick, ''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 article
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Teddy Jewish American composers American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists American jazz vibraphonists Cool jazz pianists 1928 births 2012 deaths Jazz musicians from New York City Jazz musicians from Massachusetts Musicians from Chicopee, Massachusetts Prestige Records artists Savoy Records artists Jewish American musicians Jewish jazz musicians 20th-century American pianists American male jazz composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American jazz composers 21st-century American Jews