outstanding artists including: Michael Cain, Javier Santiago, John Raymond, Dave King, Dayna Stephens, Terreon Gully, Logan Richardson, Kavyesh Kaviraj, Omar Abdulkarim, Aby Wolf, Eric Mayson, Jake Baldwin, J.C. Sanford, Russ Johnson, Will Kjeer, Your Smith, and Cameron Kinghorn.
Olsen has performed at New York clubs Birdland, Bar Bayeux, and Rockwood Music Hall in addition to iconic Midwestern venues: the Twin Cities and Eau Claire Jazz Festivals, Dakota Jazz Club, First Avenue, Dirty Dog Jazz Café, Café Coda, and Fulton Street Collective.
Music for his latest album “Violette” was made possible by a McKnight Artists’ Fellowship in Composition. It features through-composed works for strings, woodwinds, vocals, and rhythm section. Jazz Weekly lauded the album for its “rich tapestry of sounds, moods and songs.”
He is currently pursuing a Master’s of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music and has studied with teachers including Buster Williams, Anthony Cox, Erik Applegate & Gabriel Kahane.
Ted Olsen is a bassist and composer in New York City. He has released three albums of original compositions with a penchant for colorful melodies and sponateniety. In 2025, The Minnesota Star Tribune regarded him as “one of the Twin Cities music scene’s top rising jazz composers and bandleaders.”
His bass playing teems with rhythmic vitality and foundational groove. Acoustic Guitar Magazine recognized his “steady and supple bass work” as the anchor of the Tim Sparks Trio.
He has been fortunate to share the stage with many