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…
To remind the public, members of the music industry and U.S. legislators of the central role and rights of those who conceive and create music, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) launched a Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers.
This awareness-building initiative centers around 10 core principles, including “We have the right to be compensated for the use of our creative works, and share in the revenues that they generate” and “We have the right to license our works and control the ways in which they are used.”
These rights, all of which are already inherent in the act of music creation and protected by U.S. copyright law, are under threat as growing numbers of individuals bypass payment to illegally share music online.
“Given the many issues surrounding the music industry today, it can be all too easy to overlook the source of it all – individual songwriters, lyricists and composers,” said Marilyn Bergman, ASCAP president and chairman. “Our goal is to remind lawmakers, the general public and music creators of the rights that are inherent in their art. We cannot allow the original source of all music to be lost in the shuffle.”
Debuted during ASCAP’s “I Create Music” Week at the 25th Annual Pop Music Awards held on April 9, the bill has garnered more than 500 signatures from songwriters, composers and artists.
More info: ascap.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.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
“I play what I want and what I like,” said Andrew Cyrille. “I use my knowledge artistically and professionally.”
Feb 3, 2026 12:15 AM
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…
Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall
Feb 17, 2026 11:05 AM
They were Berklee misfits. Neither jazzy enough for the straightahead crowd at Boston’s highly prestigious College of…
