Ted ROSENTHAL

Ted Rosenthal entered the international spotlight by winning first prize in the 2nd annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. He has since had a prolific recording career, releasing 9 CDs as a leader. His latest, One Night in Vermont (2004), is a duo featuring legendary trombonist Bob Brookmeyer. Together they explore standards in an unusually creative and improvisatory style. All About Jazz calls this CD, "…a stunning album complete with all of jazz' beloved nuances… all those stirring moments that remind you of why you need it in your life."

Rosenthal's Expressions (2003), on the Jazz'N Pulz label, is a quintet date featuring his original compositions. His most recent solo album, The 3 B's (2002) received 4 stars from DownBeat Magazine. It features renditions of the music of Bud Powell, Bill Evans and his strikingly original improvisations on Beethoven themes. His two CDs on Concord Jazz include a solo CD on the distinguished Live at Maybeck Hall series. Rosenthal's other CDs feature some of the top names in jazz including Ron Carter, Billy Higgins, Tom Harrell, Dick Oatts, Brian Lynch, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Michael Formanek, Dennis Irwin, Matt Wilson, and Billy Drummond.

Rosenthal toured and recorded with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. After Mulligan's death, he was pianist/musical director of the Grammy nominated Gerry Mulligan All-Star Tribute Band, featuring Bob Brookmeyer, Lee Konitz, Randy Brecker and Nick Brignola.

As a busy sideman, Rosenthal was a member of the Art Farmer Quintet, has performed with the Jon Faddis, Benny Golson and James Moody Quartets, and with the Phil Woods and Joe Chambers Quintets. He has also performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Rosenthal is the pianist of choice for many top jazz vocalists including Helen Merrill, Mark Murphy, and Ann Hampton Callaway. Rosenthal has appeared on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio and performed with David Sanborn on NBC's Night Music.

A recipient of three grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Rosenthal regularly performs and records his compositions, which include jazz tunes and large-scale works. "The Survivor," a concerto for piano and orchestra, has been performed by the Manhattan Jazz Philharmonic and the Rockland Symphony Orchestra with Rosenthal at the piano. This piece combines written and improvised sections for the piano soloist, reflecting his interest in improvisation within jazz and classical styles. He also performs Gershwin's works for piano and orchestra, with original improvisations adding an extra dimension of vitality and spontaneity to the music.

Other classical/jazz crossover performances include solo and featured appearances with The Boston Pops, The Tucson Symphony, The Greater Palm Beach Symphony, The Tulsa Philharmonic, The Kansas City Symphony, The Palm Beach Pops, The North Carolina Symphony and The Indianapolis Symphony. Rosenthal received his Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and subsequently continued his piano studies with Phillip Kawin.

A faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music and the New School University, Rosenthal is active in education and presents jazz clinics throughout the world. He was a contributing editor for Piano and Keyboard magazine and has published piano arrangements and feature articles for Piano Today, and The Piano Stylist.

www.tedrosenthal.com