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…
Fresh Sound Records has issues Breathing Room, the debut
recording as a leader by trumpeter David Weiss. Weiss came to the
attention of Fresh Sound Records as the co-leader of the critically
acclaimed New Jazz Composers Octet, who recently collaborated with
trumpet legend Freddie Hubbard for the album New Colors (Hip Bop
Records). In addition, Weiss recently won the Chamber Music America
Doris Duke Jazz Ensembles Project: Creation and Presentation grant for
his compositions.
For Breathing Room, Weiss called on his New Jazz Composers Octet co-leaders pianist Xavier Davis and bassist Dwayne Burno and introduces a pair of talented and young musicians, tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland and drummer E.J. Strickland. The music has its roots in the ’60s Blue Note sound with the inclusion of a few lesser-known Wayne Shorter compositions and a variation on the classic Joe Henderson composition “The Kicker.” While obviously influenced by Shorter, his compositions for sextet prove he has his own unique and distinct voice.
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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Marsalis will, if he chooses to use it, have a strong voice in perpetuating his vision through a role in choosing his successors.
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For the better part of a year, rumors have been swirling that Wynton Marsalis was going to step down as artistic and…
