Theodore Curson, born June 3, 1935, in Philadelphia, was an American jazz trumpeter. He began playing trumpet at age ten after being inspired by a newspaper salesman and attended the Granoff School of Music in Philadelphia. In 1956, on the suggestion of Miles Davis, Curson moved to New York City where he performed and recorded with Cecil Taylor in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His composition "Tears for Dolphy" became widely recognized, appearing in numerous films. Curson released several notable albums including Plenty of Horn (1961), Ted Curson Plays Fire Down Below (1963), and The New Thing & the Blue Thing (1965). He was a frequent performer at the Pori Jazz festival in Finland, starting from its inception in 1966, and performed at Finland's Independence Day Ball in 2007 by invitation of President Tarja Halonen. Curson passed away on November 4, 2012, in Montclair, New Jersey.
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