Feb 3, 2026 12:10 AM
In Memoriam: Ken Peplowski, 1959–2026
Ken Peplowski, a clarinetist and tenor saxophonist who straddled the worlds of traditional and modern jazz, died Feb. 2…
Verve/UMe’s Acoustic Sounds Series continues to deliver with a trio of great new albums and plenty more to come.
In February, the label reissued the Oscar Peterson Trio’s Night Train, a romp through the American Songbook from the title track to “I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good.” It also presents Peterson’s “Hymn To Freedom,” which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Add Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums and you’ve got pure magic.
In March, the label released the grooving Alice Coltrane album Journey In Satchidananda, featuring saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. First released in 1971, the music sounds as fresh as today.
And, in April, the label unleashes Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio’s 1965 live recording Smokin’ At The Half Note, a blistering affair released, in part, to celebrate the centennial of Montgomery’s birth on March 6. All releases in the series have been mastered in stereo from the original analog tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl. DB
(shop.ververecords.com)
Peplowski first came to prominence in legacy swing bands, including the final iteration of the Benny Goodman Orchestra, before beginning a solo career in the late 1980s.
Feb 3, 2026 12:10 AM
Ken Peplowski, a clarinetist and tenor saxophonist who straddled the worlds of traditional and modern jazz, died Feb. 2…
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
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Richie Beirach was particularly renowned for his approach to chromatic harmony, which he used to improvise reharmonizations of originals and standards.
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“I play what I want and what I like,” said Andrew Cyrille. “I use my knowledge artistically and professionally.”
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Midway through August, a few days after concluding a week at the Village Vanguard with the quartet that Andrew Cyrille…
Marsalis will, if he chooses to use it, have a strong voice in perpetuating his vision through a role in choosing his successors.
Feb 3, 2026 12:09 AM
For the better part of a year, rumors have been swirling that Wynton Marsalis was going to step down as artistic and…
