Ted Rosenthal

Ted Rosenthal established his reputation as a polished contemporary mainstream pianist by capturing first prize at the second annual Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition in 1988. His initial leader date appeared on the Ken label in 1990, after which he continued to head sessions for CTI, the Jazz Alliance, Concord (among them a volume in the storied Maybeck Recital Hall series), Playscape, Planet Arts, and Venus Records. Between 1992 and 1995 he belonged to Gerry Mulligan’s final quartet and participated in three albums with the baritone saxophonist. Additional sideman associations encompass Art Farmer, Jon Faddis, Benny Golson, James Moody, Jim Hall, Phil Woods, Mel Lewis, Lee Konitz, Michael Brecker, and numerous others, along with an appearance alongside David Sanborn on the NBC program Night Music. Among his 2000s releases are the 2004 Planet Arts live duet One Night in Vermont with trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, the 2006 Venus trio date The King and I featuring bassist George Mraz and drummer Lewis Nash in treatments of songs drawn from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, and the 2008 Venus trio outing My Funny Valentine, again with Mraz on bass and with Al Foster on drums, devoted to jazz standards from Helen Merrill’s book. Issued by Playscape in 2010, Impromptu presented Rosenthal’s renditions of pieces by the classical composers Brahms, Chopin, Mozart, Puccini, Schubert, Schumann, and Tchaikovsky, supported by bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer Quincy Davis. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Rosenthal maintains a teaching position at that institution and also serves on the faculties of the Juilliard School and the New School/Mannes College of Music.