About

By tedwolff, October 15, 2009

tedoutdoorsTed, a vibraphonist of warmth and eloquence, is a Bay Area native. He began his music studies at age 16, and within six months was studying jazz with noted vibist John Rae. Encouraged by Rae, Ted attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied and performed with Gary Burton, Dave Samuels, Bill Frisell, Joe Hunt, Mike Stern, and Tiger Okoshi.

Within three years Ted was invited to join the faculty at Berklee. During his 8 year stay Ted provided guidance and direction to many students. John Piper, an active and successful vibes player recalls studying with Ted and has this to say: “While I was struggling to develop a style for my solo playing, I kept hearing Ted’s fat, wonderfully warm vibe sound in my head, and I tried to copy that. He really made an impression on those of us who were fortunate to be around him.”

In 1985 Ted returned to Northern California. In 2000 he released a solo CD entitled “Felicity” which features jazz and classical music performed on vibes and marimba. In 2009 Ted and pianist Laura Klein produced a critically acclaimed recording titled “Cerulean Blue”,  a collection of piano/vibes duets

Past performances include featured spots on Channel 5 television and WBUR radio in Boston, The Russian River Jazz Festival and Yoshi’s jazz club in the San Francisco Bay Area, and appearances at the Stanford Jazz Festival in Palo Alto, Calif.

Today Ted frequently performs  in small groups and as a soloist; always delighting audiences with his lyrical style and impressive technique.

This recording of JJ Johonson’s beautiful ballad “Lament” features Ted with long-time friend and pianist Laura Klein.

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“The Night has a Thousand Eyes” is a duet for vibes and marimba. It was recorded for Ted’s first CD titled “Felicity”.

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