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bio

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Ted Hefko moved to New Orleans on a Greyhound Bus when he was 18 and fresh out of high school. He chose to travel by bus to buy himself a little time to make the adjustment and also so he could pack more. His luggage totaled two guitars, a saxophone, cooking utensils, books, cassettes, and a pin-striped suit. He dreamed of a city on the water, full of music, and the sweet safety and serenity of the thick New Orleans air about him. He rode next to a Memphis call-girl, nearly twice his age, who entertained him with stories of the ins and outs of the business as they rode.

He spent his first year in The Big Easy busing tables in the French Quarter, but thankfully one of the waiters, an adjunct vocal teacher, convinced him to apply to The University of New Orleans. He earned a BFA in Jazz Saxophone from UNO in 2000.

The musician's internship is long and tortured, but it is all these adventures and mis-adventures that add character to a young player. The proposition, in the late 90's, was to drive across this great country in a van, living off of sandwiches and the bar menu. The pay was abhorrent but the scenery was rich whether driving route 66 through the painted desert, or Colorado's Rabbit Ears Pass in a blizzard. Ted toured nationally with jazz-jam band, idletime from 1998 through 2001 opening for acts such as The Funky Meters, Leftover Salmon, Leo Neocentelli, Derek Trucks, Rebirth Brassband, and North Mississipi Allstars. The group released “Time Stops...” on Louisiana RedHot Records in 2000, featuring two of Ted's originals.

Since moving to New York, in 2003, Ted has been busy leading his own band, Ted Hefko and The Thousandaires, and working and recording with some great bands as a sideman along the way. In 2009, He released his first full-length all original album, Egyptland, a collection of scenes and stories set in New Orleans.

Ted Hefko and The Thousandaires have made a record that displays a fair share of all of their talents in the service of nine songs. An album that features fresh original writing with an acknowledgement of sounds that have come before, a healthy dose of experimentation and happy accidents, and production that is not distracted by the latest gimmicks of technology, nor fettered by a historical purism. The songs and themes of If I Walked On Water are undeniably linked, yet there is more than enough variety on this musical outing to keep the listener engaged.