Ted Dunbar Biography & Awards

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Artist Info

Born

January 17, 1937 Port Arthur, TX

Died

May 29, 1998 New Brunswick, NJ

Biography

A self-taught guitarist who later became an instructor, Ted Dunbar's pithy riffs, taut solos and accompaniment have been featured in hard bop, soul jazz, jazz-rock and free situations. Dunbar played trumpet and guitar at Texas Southern in the mid and late '50s. He worked with Arnett Cobb, Don Wilkerson and Joe Turner. Dunbar studied and played with Dave Baker at Indiana in the early '60s, sometimes subbing for Wes Montgomery. He moved to New York in the mid-'60s, and performed and recorded with Gil Evans in the '70s, as well as Tony Williams' Lifetime and Frank Foster. Dunbar also worked with Sonny Rollins, Ron Carter, Billy Harper, Roy Haynes, and McCoy Tyner. He was involved with Billy Taylor's Jazzmobile project, The New Jazz Repertory Co. and The National Jazz Ensemble before joining Livingston College's (Rutgers) faculty in 1972. On top of recording sessions as a leader for Xanadu and Muse, Dunbar had also written several books on jazz harmony and guitar before his death in 1998. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide