Theodore "Ted" Curson (June 3, 1935 – November 4, 2012) was a jazz trumpeter. He is perhaps best known for recording and performing with Charles Mingus. Curson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He became interested in playing trumpet after watching a newspaper salesman play a silver trumpet. Curson's father, however, preferred that Ted become an alto saxophone player like Louis Jordan. Finally, when Ted was 10 years old, he received a "raggedy" trumpet. Read more on Last.fm