Teddy Charles
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Teddy Charles (13 April 1928 – 16 April 2012 in Riverhead) was an American jazz musician and composer whose instruments were the vibraphone, piano, and drums.
Born Theodore Charles Cohen in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, he he studied at Juilliard School of Music as a percussionist. Later he began to record and made personal appearances as Teddy Cohen as a vibraphonist, writing, arranging and producing records in 1951 changing 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' mentor) and Dick Cary. Known as an innovator, his main work was recorded in the 1950s. Charles also did session work with musicians and singers as varied as Miles Davis and Dion. He recordesd an album, Live at the Verona Jazz Festival, for the Italian Soul Note label in 1988.
Charles was the Captain of the Skipjack Pilgrim out of Greenport, New York (on the North Fork of Long Island) and performs music locally. In his last years, Charles began performing again after spending some years at sea.
Charles died on 16 April 2012.
