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…
New titles in the Original Jazz Classics reissue series from Craft Recordings.
(Photo: Courtesy Craft Recordings)The latest reissues in Craft Recordings’ Original Jazz Classics series will include the Red Garland Trio’s Groovy, Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane’s Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane, the John Wright Trio’s South Side Soul and the New Miles Davis Quintet’s Miles. Currently available for pre-order, these reissues, which will be rolled out from April through July, feature lacquers cut from the all-analog original tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio (the Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane and Groovy titles were cut by Cohearent Audio’s Matthew Lutthans), 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI and tip-on jackets replicating the original album artwork. All titles will also be released digitally in 192kHz/24-bit HD audio.
The Red Garland Trio’s Groovy (available April 26), which sits firmly in the bebop/hard-bop genre, finds the Texas-born pianist with drummer Art Taylor and bassist Paul Chamber. It was the trio’s third album together, released in 1957.
Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane (available May 31) was recorded in 1958 and released five years later. Guitarist Burrell and saxophonist Coltrane went back together as far as 1951, when they both played in Dizzy Gillespie’s band. By 1958, this recorded collaboration with Burrell would end up being Coltrane’s last before he went on a spiritual music journey that would culminate in A Love Supreme.
John Wright Trio’s South Side Soul (available June 28) finds the Chicago-bred pianist bolstered by Wendell Roberts on bass and Walter McCants on drums. The trio’s 1960 debut features a slinky-cool title track, which cemented “South Side Soul” as Wright’s nickname. Meanwhile, a pair of harmonic escapes, “Sin Corner” and “Amen Corner,” nod ever so slyly to Wright’s roots playing in a Baptist church.
The New Miles Davis Quintet’s 1956 debut Miles (available July 26) came together after a record executive encouraged the trumpeter to form a band. The talent Davis assembled ended up becoming a dream team of tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers and Davis’ favorite drummer, Philly Joe Jones. The album features a mix of pop and jazz standards.
Original Jazz Classics was created in 1982 under Fantasy Records and was relaunched last year, with jazz fans and critics acknowledging the series’ devotion to preserving and restoring seminal jazz albums — paying mind to everything from cover art to liner notes to the audio recordings themselves. Since its inception, the series has reissued more than 850 hard-to-find jazz albums, among them acclaimed titles from the Prestige, Galaxy, Milestone, Riverside, Debut, Contemporary, Jazzland and Pablo labels. Craft Recordings announced it plans to continue to grow its Original Jazz Classics series this year with audiophile vinyl and digital reissues of even more out-of-print titles.
Click here to pre-order the new titles, or click here to shop the complete OJC collection. Stay tuned for announcements regarding more reissues coming later this year. DB
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…
Richie Beirach was particularly renowned for his approach to chromatic harmony, which he used to improvise reharmonizations of originals and standards.
Jan 27, 2026 11:19 AM
Richie Beirach, a pianist and composer who channeled a knowledge of modern classical music into his jazz practice,…
“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…
