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Ted Kooshian

Born in San Jose, California, Ted grew up in the Bay Area and started playing piano in the 2nd grade. His love of jazz music began in the 7th grade when his music teacher played him a record of Oscar Peterson.

He attended San Jose State College from 1979 through 1982 as a jazz performance music major. While in his twenties he traveled to the Far East, the South Pacific, Africa, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and South America working as a pianist on cruise ships.

Ted moved to New York City in 1987, and since then has been working as a freelance musician, playing jazz gigs, Broadway shows, several tours, and teaching.

Over the years, Ted has worked with Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry, Edgar Winter, Marvin Hamlisch, Sarah Brightman, Blood, Sweat, and Tears, and Il Divo. A sampling of the Broadway Show work he’s done includes Mamma Mia, The Lion King, Aida, Come Fly Away, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Spamalot. He has performed at the Detroit Jazz Festival, the Syracuse Jazz Festival, the Sun Valley Jazz Festival, and the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, as well as festivals in Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia.

In 2007 he finished the BA degree in music he started in San Jose. In addition to leading his own groups and projects, Ted is a member of several bands that play frequently in New York. He has been a member of the Ed Palermo Big Band since 1994. Starting in 2012, Ted has been playing solo piano five nights a week at Center Bar, one floor below Jazz At Lincoln Center in the Time/Warner Building.

Ramsey Lewis, Mick Goodrick & Ted Kooshian

by Joe Dimino
December 11, 2022

With the song “McQueen" from pianist & composer Ted Kooshian, we start the 780th Episode of Neon Jazz with some good audio elbow grease. From there, we hear the artist Ted first saw in a live venue in the legendary Count Basie. Also, new music from Pedro Neves, Cheryl Ann Spencer and Rich Willey plus a tasty new album from the late, great Ramsey Lewis covering The Beatles “Golden Slumbers." Finally, we say thanks and good-bye to the wonderful guitarist ...

Album Review

Ted Kooshian: Hubub!

by Edward Blanco
December 6, 2022

New York pianist and keyboardist Ted Kooshian continues his love affair with classic TV, cartoon themes and the pop scene, on Hubub!, offering a selection of striking originals influenced by his “enthusiastic love for pop culture," which includes tributes to actors Steve McQueen and William Shatner of Star Trek fame. The album's sole standard is Leonard Bernstein's classic “Somewhere" from the West Side Story play, distinguishing this version from so many others with an atypically jaunty arrangement from the pianist. ...

Album Review

Ted Kooshian: Hubub!

by Jack Bowers
November 24, 2022

There are two ways of looking at Hubub!, pianist Ted Kooshian's fifth album as leader. The first is, “nothing new here"; and the second, “everything is new here." On the one hand, Kooshian's able quintet hews closely to the post-bop canon which has given rise to its fabric; on the other, they do so within the framework of Kooshian's bright and engaging melodies, none of which seems commonplace or shopworn. Kooshian wrote nine of the album's eleven ...

Album Review

Scott Whitfield & Friends: A Bi-Coastal Christmas

Read "A Bi-Coastal Christmas" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
December 31, 2020

If trombonist Scott Whitfield's A Bi-Coastal Christmas cannot quicken your inner holiday spirit, that will not be for lack of trying. Whitfield uses every ribbon in the packet and every tool in the shed to help make the season bright, from big band to quintet, from duo to solo (Whitfield's trombone all by itself). Two of the selections were recorded in 2004, four others in 2005, whereas Whitfield's brace of solo tracks was taped in 2020 as he cast off ...

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Album Review

Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet: Underdog, and Other Stories ...

Read "Underdog, and Other Stories ..." reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins

by Woodrow Wilkins
October 26, 2009

Sometimes, a name is all it takes to get attention. Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet has such a name. But the name alone doesn't necessarily mean good quality. The band still has to play, and play they do on Underdog, and Other Stories .... The ensemble is comprised of Kooshian on piano, Jeff Lederer on saxophones, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Scott Neumann and Warren Odze on drums. Kooshian, a native of San Jose, California, migrated to ...

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Album Review

Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet: Underdog And Other Stories...

Read "Underdog And Other Stories..." reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
September 17, 2009

Ignore the fact that pianist Ted Kooshian regularly covers cartoon and TV music in his quartet and what's left is an appreciation for music that swings exceptionally hard, and a passion for each tune that is anything but “animated."

Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet has produced its second volume of music, Underdog And Other Stories..., following a self-titled release from 2008 that contained covers of The Simpsons' theme, Batman, Top Cat, and the music of Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, and Sting. ...

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Album Review

Ted Kooshian: Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet

Read "Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone

by Michael P. Gladstone
June 8, 2008

Getting past the sci-fi cover artwork of this album, there's some pretty diverting jazz within. Pianist Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet has a different spin on the music. The thematic concept is to play music from animated Saturday morning television science fiction broadcasts of yore. In order to complement the aforementioned seven themes, Kooshian his group submit their versions of rock tunes plus a take on Borodin/Wright's standard “Baubles, Bangles and Beads."

It is possible that you've seen ...

Performance / Tour

Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet at the Iridium in New York City

Source: Two for the Show Media
August 14, 2009

Pianist, composer, and bandleader Ted Kooshian will be performing with his Standard Orbit Quartet at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City.

Performance on August 26th, 2009 in celebration of his new release on Summit Records titled Underdog and other Stories.

Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet is out of this world! - Ken Dryden, allmusic.com

Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet Ted Kooshian, piano Jeff Lederer, saxophones Tom Hubbard, bass
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Recording

Ted Kooshian Releases Standard Orbit Quartet on Summit Records

Source: Two for the Show Media
March 16, 2008

Pianist/Composer Ted Kooshian releases new CD, “Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet" On Summit Records ...plenty of surprises in store, while keeping the listener hooked with imaginative arrangements...Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet is out of this world! -All Music Guide “Serious musicianship with a tongue in cheek approach - Great Music!" - Christopher Lams - Jazz Improv Magazine Ted Kooshian's new release Standard Orbit Quartet is a brilliant and witty approach to the jazz genre while giving high praise to older ...
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"Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet is out of this world!" - Ken Dryden, AllMusic.com

"The quality of musicianship is outstanding and the arrangements are fresh, inventive, and genius." ~ Valerie Williams, Skope

"Hip, hip, hooray for musical insanity done right." ~ Chris Spector, Midwest Record

"Kooshian's vision is the same as Miles Davis or John Coltrane when they covered popular music of the 1950's or Broadway hits." ~ Mark Corroto, AllAboutJazz.com

"Ear opening contemporary jazz that doesn’t let you down" - Chris Spector, Midwest Record

Primary Instrument

Piano

Location

New York City

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

I have been teaching piano for 30 years. I teach all levels, and many styles (classical, jazz, pop, etc). I am good with beginners (2nd grade through adult). Lessons can be at my home or yours. I teach music theory along with piano technique.