Teddy Charles (born April 13, 1928) is an American jazz pianist, drummer and vibraphone musician

Teddy Charles (born April 13, 1928) is an American jazz pianist, drummer and vibraphone musician. Born Theodore Charles Cohen in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, he began his musical career studying at Juilliard School of Music as a percussionist. Later he started recording and making personal appearances as Teddy Cohen [1] with bands[2] as a vibraphonist, writing, arranging and producing records in 1951 changing his last name to Charles.

Charles was one of many jazz musicians who hung out at an apartment building at 821 Sixth Avenue in New York City known as the Jazz Loft rented by photographer and artist David X. Young who in turn sublet two apartments to Hall Overton (Charles' mentor) and Dick Cary. Known as an innovator, his main work was recorded in the 1950s. Charles also did session work with musicians and singers as varied as Miles Davis and Dion.
He released a live album "Live at the Verona Jazz Festival" on the Italian Soul Note label in 1988.

Currently Ted is the Captain of the Skipjack Pilgrim out of Greenport, New York (on the North Fork of Long Island) and performs music locally. See the teddy-charles.com link below. Teddy recently sold the Schooner Mary E. The Mary E remains sailing out of Greenport. Teddy has recently began performing again after spending years at sea. A previously unreleased recording of Teddy and Max Roach at the Rovigo Italy, Jazz Festival, 1988 is due out soon (2008).