Home » Jazz Musicians » Ted Rosenthal
Ted Rosenthal
Ted Rosenthal is one of the leading jazz pianists of his generation. The first-prize winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition in 1988, Ted has gone on to perform worldwide, both as a leader and as a sideman with many jazz greats, including Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, and Jon Faddis. Ted also has released eleven CDs as a leader, which include new treatments and "derangements" of great American standards, jazz tunes and classical themes, as well as his original compositions. Ted’s ability to communicate both the creative and analytical aspects of jazz translates from the bandstand to the educational arena: he holds faculty appointments at The Juilliard School, and Manhattan School of Music, and has also taught at Queens College, and The New School University. Ted was born and raised in Great Neck, Long Island, a suburb of New York City. He began playing by ear at a young age, and started studying at 12 with Tony Aless, a sideman with Charlie Parker and Stan Getz. In high school, Ted studied briefly with Jaki Byard and Lennie Tristano, and he attended workshops with Billy Taylor, Woody Shaw and others. Although jazz was Ted’s main passion, at the time there were limited opportunities to study jazz at the conservatory level. Since he also found satisfaction and joy in classical music, Ted decided to pursue classical piano studies at Manhattan School of Music. He received Bachelors and Masters Degrees in piano performance while continuing to pursue his love of jazz outside the classroom. After college, he continued his classical piano studies with Phillip Kawin while playing jazz in and around New York. Winning the Monk Competition in 1988 launched Ted’s career as a solo artist, leading to the release of his first CD as a leader. New Tunes, New Traditions, featuring now-legendary personnel Ron Carter, Billy Higgins and Tom Harrell, interweaves music of Thelonious Monk with Ted’s original compositions. Ted toured in the early 1990s with the last Gerry Mulligan Quartet. He recorded three CDs with Mulligan and performed in major jazz festivals throughout the world. One critic noted, “The rapport of the (Mulligan) group was amazing, particularly Gerry’s telepathic communication with outstanding pianist Ted Rosenthal.... The byplay with Rosenthal left me with my jaw hanging down.” (Gene Lees, The Jazz Letter.) After Mulligan's death, Ted became musical director of The Gerry Mulligan All Star Tribute Band, featuring Lee Konitz, Bob Brookmeyer and Randy Brecker.
Read moreTags
Ann Hampton Callaway: Fever: A Peggy Lee Celebration
by Richard J Salvucci
Peggy Lee was a remarkable singer and songwriter, but to some listeners, deeply enigmatic. Her time, often well behind the beat, conveyed a subtle sense of irony. Are you getting this?" she sometimes seemed to say, or am I going too fast for you?" She could be exuberant and world weary almost in the same breath. It was seemingly up to the audience to decipher her meaning. Lee could convey expectation and experience simultaneously, as in her version of Folks ...
read moreTed Rosenthal: Dear Erich, A Jazz Opera
by Ken Dryden
Ted Rosenthal is one of the most renowned pianists of his generation. He won first prize at the second Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition and has been awarded several NEA grants as a composer. Well known as the pianist in Gerry Mulligan's final quartet, Rosenthal has recorded or performed with many other artists, including Bob Brookmeyer, Phil Woods, Art Farmer, Jim Hall, Jon Faddis, Benny Golson, James Moody, Mel Lewis, Lee Konitz and Ken Peplowski. Rosenthal has recorded fifteen ...
read moreTed Rosenthal Trio: Rhapsody In Gershwin
by Dan Bilawsky
The glories of George Gershwin have been well-documented in jazz settings. In fact, many would argue that Gershwin's music has been done to death. So does the world really need another tribute to this iconic tunesmith? In theory, it does not. Supply and demand, and the very nature of saturation, would say that a more-than-sufficient dose of Gershwin has been given to the world, so it's time to move on. However, these principles have never applied to this type of ...
read more2013 Yuletide Offerings
by Dan Bilawsky
It's clear that the holidays are coming when the mercury dips and the cheery tidings of the season are balanced out by shopping-fueled malaise. When it comes to music, said shopping is often centered on a series of new holiday-themed releases that seem to arrive like clockwork in the weeks and months prior to Christmas; this year--surprise, surprise--is no different than any other year in that respect. In some ways, it's hard to understand the ever-continuing fascination ...
read moreTed Rosenthal Trio: Wonderland
by Dan McClenaghan
Lots of Christmas Albums" come out every year. Many of them are nice for an easy holiday listen, but let's face it, expectations are low in terms of endurance, and they can often be rightfully seen as quickly done, quick buck affairs. Then there are the ones that have endured: the Vince Guaraldi Trio's A Charlie Brown Christmas (Fantasy, 1965); Elvis Presley's A Christmas Album (RCA, 1957); and Frank Sinatra's A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra (Capitol, 1957). And aside ...
read moreTed Rosenthal Trio: Out of This World
by Dan McClenaghan
2011 has been productive year in the recording realm for pianist Ted Rosenthal. His contribution to The Westchester Jazz Orchestra's superb Maiden Voyage Suite (WJO Records) helped elevate the re-imaging of pianist Herbie Hancock's classic Maiden Voyage (Blue Note, 1965) to the highest level of big band artistry. With Out of this World, Rosenthal slips back to the more minimal piano trio, for his exquisite interpretations of some of The Great American Songbook's most beloved compositions.Covering classic tunes ...
read moreTed Rosenthal Trio: Out of This World
by Edward Blanco
Borrowing from The Great American Songbook is a standard practice for many jazz artists, who include one or more pieces when rounding out a repertoire of primarily new material. Not so for pianist Ted Rosenthal, whose affinity for music from the Songbook is reflected on at least two previous recordings, Rosenthology (Concord Jazz, 1994) and One Night in Vermont (Planet Arts, 2003), focusing on music from Irving Berlin, Jimmy Van Heusen, Tadd Dameron and Matt Dennis. On Out of This ...
read moreThelonious Monk 100th Birthday Tribute With The Ted Rosenthal Quintet
Source:
Ed Bride Associates
Berkshires Jazz, Inc. continues its summer of centennial tributes on August 12 with the Ted Rosenthal Quintet, in a 100th birthday salute to Thelonious Monk. TD Bank is sponsoring the concert, which takes place at the Lee Meeting House (Lee Congregational Church), starting at 7:30pm. Equally renowned as a pianist and composer, Thelonious Monk was known for his unique improvisational style, making numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire. Even now, 35 years after his passing, he still has a ...
read more
Usdan Center's 8/1 Gala Features World Premiere By Ted Rosenthal
Source:
Reva Cooper
8/1 Usdan Gala Features World Premiere Jazz Work Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, the renowned summer arts day camp once again cited by TimeOutNY as a Best Camp" for 2012, will present its annual Gala Concert on Wednesday August 1 at 7:00 PM at its 200-acre woodland campus center, the 1,000-seat McKinley Amphitheater. The 2012 Concert will feature the World Premiere of R ‘n B, a Usdan-commissioned jazz work by critically acclaimed pianist/composer Ted Rosenthal, performed by ...
read more
Enter the "Ted Rosenthal - Out of This World" CD Giveaway at All About Jazz!
Source:
All About Jazz
Upcoming Ted Rosenthal Performances
Source:
Two for the Show Media
Saturday, October 15th, 8:30 PM Ted RosenthalPiano Thomson KneelandBass Andy WatsonDrums Watercolor Cafe Larchmont, NY Friday, October 21st, 8:00 PM Ted Rosenthal Trio with Noriko UedaBass Tim HornerDrums Music Conservatory of Westchester216 Central Avenue White Plains, NY Friday, October 28th, 7:30 PM Ted Rosenthal Trio with Noriko UedaBass Tim HornerDrums Dix Hills Performing Arts Center FIve Towns College Dix Hills, NY Sunday, October 30, 4:00PM Jazz at Dicapoתth Season, Opening Concert Out of this ...
read more
The Ted Rosenthal Trio Releases "Out of This World" on Playscape Recordings.
Source:
Two for the Show Media
It would be an understatement to say there is no shortage of pianistic interpretations of the ageless contributions of Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein/Hart, Cole Porter, et. al. So any pianist who dares to take on that canon anew had better have something fresh to say about it. Ted Rosenthal does. On Out Of This World (Playscape Recordings), the new collection featuring Rosenthal on piano, bassist Noriko Ueda and Quincy Davis on drums, 10 timeless classics from the golden era of ...
read more
Arturo O'Farrill, Jimmy Heath, Jane Monheit, Ted Rosenthal at Usdan Festival Concerts
Source:
Reva Cooper
Usdan Center For the Creative and Performing Arts, now entering its 43nd season and once again declared a Best Of" class or camp for 2010 by TimeOutNY/Kids, will open its series of Festival Concerts, private on-site educational performances for its students, on Monday June 28 at the Center's 200-acre woodland campus. In addition to these concerts, special workshops and master classes will be offered by visiting guest artists throughout the summer.
The Center's 2010 season runs from June 28 to ...
read more
Jazz Stars Jane Monheit, Ted Rosenthal and others at Usdan Center Festival Concerts
Source:
Reva Cooper
Singer Jane Monheit, acclaimed young Polish pianist Mateusz Kolakowski, tap dance team DeWitt Fleming and Jared Grimes and pianist/composer Ted Rosenthal are among the jazz stars appearing at Usdan Center For the Creative and Performing Arts' Festival Concerts, private 30-minute educational performances, just for Usdan students, at its on-site 1,000-seat McKinley Ampitheater, beginning Monday June 30. Jane Monheit, one of today's most eminent jazz vocalists, performs this summer at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival; Mateusz Kolakowski is a frequent guest artist ...
read more
Chamber Music at Rodeph Sholom Classical Jazz Concert
Source:
All About Jazz
"Theme, Moods and Angles" for flute, cello and Jazz Trio" Friday, May 30, at 8PM Chamber Music at Rodeph Sholom reprises their classical/Jazz crossover ensemble in a new program which premiere's pianist/composer Ted Rosenthal's recent chamber jazz composition, Theme, Moods and Angles for flute, cello and Jazz Trio, on Friday evening, May 30th, at 8pm in Schnurmacher Chapel. The guest ensemble, Rosenthal, piano, Cantor Rebecca Garfein, vocals, Susan Rotholz, flute, Eliot Bailen, cello and Artistic Director, Thomson Kneeland, ...
read more
Ted Rosenthal Featured at Bill Evans Festival in Louisiana
Source:
All About Jazz
Bill Evans will be honored by his Alma Mater the week of February 21-24. Ted Rosenthal will be featured at the conclusion of the four-day jazz festival at Southeastern Louisiana University, from where Evans graduated with honors in 1950. Evans was a recipient of 7 Grammy Awards and produced scores of recordings prior to his death in 1980. The Bill Evans Jazz Festival began four years ago, and since that time has welcomed Debby Evans (Bill's niece for whom he ...
read more
"Rosenthal is a pianist of rarest skill, weaving rapid single note lines that span out into rich chordal patterns, parallel octaves and hints of the blues" —Leonard Feather, The Los Angeles Times "A new jazz leader" —John S. Wilson, The New York Times
Photos
Concerts
Music
Black Coffee
From: Fever: A Peggy Lee CelebrationBy Ted Rosenthal