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…
The Chicago Jazz Festival hits the city this weekend, but it will soon have company—the inaugural Hyde Park Jazz Festival will follow in its footsteps next month.
The Sept. 29 event will feature 15 hours of nonstop jazz by local musicians, including trumpeter Orbert Davis, vocalist Dee Alexander and sextet Bill McFarland and the Chicago Horns. The festival will also offer dance performances, conversations with cultural scholars and musical workshops.
Free festival shuttles will transport attendees to various performance venues around the Chicago neighborhood of Hyde Park, including the DuSable Museum of African American History, Oriental Institute, Quadrangle Club, Smart Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House, Hyde Park Art Center, Checkerboard Lounge for Blues and Jazz and stages at the Midway.
For more information, visit hydeparkjazzfestival.org.
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…
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