Home » Jazz Musicians » Ted Howe

Ted Howe

Ted Howe was born in Boston, MA with a fascination for sound from the day he was born. A penchant for sound from a toddler may not always be a parent's dream. However, this love of sound grew as did that of the Red Sox from the attention he received from his Uncle Oly, who introduced him both to jazz and to baseball. Young Ted listened to every jazz album he could find, attended many jazz concerts and quickly found his favorites amongst Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, George Shearing, Dave Brubeck and Bill Evans.

Ted began studying piano in his tender teens with Harry Smith one of the legendary founders of the Berklee College Of Music. Ted's natural persistence and relentless fascination of developing his craft dominated his life. He soon became not only a student at Berklee, but a professor of piano arranging, theory and improvisation — all before reaching the age of 24.

After a two year stint as a pianist in the Army, Ted took a gig at one of Boston's leading live entertainment venues, The Surf Supper Club where he soon became bandleader playing and conducting for some of the biggest acts of the time. It was at the Surf that Howe honed his craft of arranging — a strong point that to this day sets him aside from other gifted pianists.

Ted moved his family to Atlanta where he continued performing, composing, arranging, producing and teaching. Again, Howe shared the stage with many of the great jazz artists and entertainers of the day and he continued building relationships with performers who called on his services each time they came to town, such as Mel Torme — who refused to sing with anyone else on his visits to Atlanta.

Howe also joined the faculty of Georgia State University where he assisted in developing its first jazz education program.

Now living in Los Angeles and a Summit Records recording artist, Ted continues to record, produce, arrange and perform extensively. His latest CD, "Love Song", pays homage to Harold Alren, Cole Porter and James Van Heusen in a significantly new way.

Love Song debuts four of Howe's own love songs, written with his partner, lyricist and Executive Producer, Rebekah Miller. The Miller & Howe songs are lovingly sung by star of stage, film and television, Lainie Kazan, and renowned jazz baritone, Giacomo Gates.

Ted has two other releases on Summit Records. The first, "Ellington", which was an “accidental” CD evolved from Howe's touring show which paid homage to his idol. It was recorded strictly for choreography purposes so that a local dance company could turn the show into a ballet. The music felt like a CD from the start. So Ted added a few tunes, playing with his longtime friends, bassist Neal Starkey and drummer Jerry Fields. The album has continued to enjoy rave reviews and had a lengthy stay on the Jazzweek airplay chart.

Read more

Tags

6
Album Review

The Ted Howe Jazz Orchestra: Pinnacle

Read "Pinnacle" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Pianist Ted Howe offered up one of the finest of Duke Ellington tributes, the piano trio set titled simply Ellington (Summit Records, 2005). It was a heartfelt ride through some of The Duke's most familiar tunes, swinging mightily. He now steps up into Ellington-ian ensemble territory with Pinnacle, by his thirteen piece Ted Howe Jazz Orchestra. In the old “is it classical, is it jazz?" discussion, Pinnacle definitely leans classical--but it does swing. Opening with “Presto for Two ...

4
Album Review

The Ted Howe Jazz Orchestra: Pinnacle

Read "Pinnacle" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Big bands come at the listener from a variety of angles these days, some more aslant than others. On Pinnnacle, Los Angeles-based composer / arranger / pianist Ted Howe covers all the bases, navigating his thirteen-piece orchestra through styles ranging from swing to funk, Latin to tone poem, often with classical undertones. Howe gives credit for his eclectic approach to the late Herb Pomeroy, with whom he studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and afterward by late-night ...

249
Album Review

Ted Howe: Elton Exposed

Read "Elton Exposed" reviewed by Jim Santella


Ted Howe's tribute album, subtitled Revealing the Jazz Soul of Elton John, takes a mellow piano excursion through territory that few jazz artists find the time to consider. Howe's piano trio transforms each pop song into a straight-ahead jazz medium filled with the swing and sway of Elton's gentle emotions. In Howe's hands, pop music swings like Ellington and sways like Basie.

Howe explores each melody with finesse. Partnering with acoustic bass and drums, he settles in comfortably ...

210
Album Review

Ted Howe: Ellington

Read "Ellington" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


The purpose of this recording was for pianist Ted Howe's “(Duke) Ellington Show to be choreographed for an Atlanta, Georgia-based dance troupe. Thankfully, Howe and his trio recorded a portion of the Duke's songbook for mass consumption, while exuding a cheery and indubitably upbeat vibe along the way. Fused with snappy rhythms, Latin slants, and brisk swing vamps, the trio succeeds at instilling a personalized approach into familiar territory.

Howe simply glides across his acoustic piano's keys, featuring ...

466
Album Review

Ted Howe: Ellington

Read "Ellington" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Pianist Ted Howe missed the centennial of Duke Ellington's birth by six years with this release. In late '98 and '99 there were more tributes to the Duke spinning around out there than you could count. I don't recall anybody honoring Ellington via the piano trio route, though, and Duke himself rarely recorded in the format--Money Jungle (Blue Note, 1962), with bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach, stands out as an exception.On Ellington, the pianist and his ...

Read more articles
Primary Instrument

Keyboards

Location

Los Angeles

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

* Now teaching online (viz Skype/Zoom). Visit TedHowe.com for more information.

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Simply Smooth

Ted Howe Music
2020

buy

Pinnacle

Hot Shoe Records
2015

buy

Ellington

Summit Records
2005

buy

Elton Exposed

Summit Records
2005

buy

Love Song

Summit Records
0

buy

Simply Smooth

From: Simply Smooth
By Ted Howe

Midnight on the Beach

From: Love Song
By Ted Howe

Videos

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.