Theodore "Ted" Curson (June 3, 1935 – November 4, 2012) was an American jazz trumpeter. He is perhaps best known for recording and performing with Charles Mingus.

Curson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He became interested in playing trumpet after watching a newspaper salesman play a silver trumpet. Curson's father, however, preferred that his son should become an alto saxophone player like Louis Jordan. Finally, when Ted was 10 years old, he received his first trumpet.