Ted Kurland is the founder of The Kurland Agency, which opened its doors in 1975 in Boston. At the time, he was a recent graduate of Brandeis University, where he majored in economics. After Kurland graduated, he first worked for a small Boston talent agency, an invaluable experience that launched his career into the talent booking business. With two partners, he later started All American Talent, an agency that booked primarily blues artists such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, George Thorogood, Hound Dog Taylor, and Ko Ko Taylor. All American Talent turned into Ted Kurland Associates, now The Kurland Agency, and the agency’s emphasis shifted to booking jazz artists.
Eminent jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton was the first artist to become a client of the new company. Soon after, other major performers such as Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, Milt Jackson, Charles Mingus, Isaac Hayes, Dexter Gordon, Nina Simone, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Jaco Pastorius, Ravi Shankar, Astor Piazzolla, Stephane Grappelli, Tony Williams, Bill Evans, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Bela Fleck and many other celebrated jazz musicians joined the growing TKA family of artists.
Kurland’s client services with some musicians grew to include management and negotiating recording, music publishing, movie soundtrack and video licensing agreements.
By the early 1980’s, the agency expanded their bookings internationally and became well established in every major market in the world, arranging tours throughout Europe, Asia, and South America and even the former U.S.S.R..
Although TKA remains well-known for representation of major jazz artists, they now focus on prominent performers from all genres of music such as blues, roots, world, and contemporary singer/songwriters.