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…
Delmark Records has announced the last set of new releases for 2003, scheduled for release on Oct. 21.
Bassist Josh Abrams’ new album, Cipher, features trumpeter Axel Dorner, saxophonist/clarinetist Guillermo Gregorio and guitarist Jeff Parker. Recorded at Chicago’s Empty Bottle and Riverside Studios, the album’s 10 original compositions represent writing from all members.
Trumpeter Malachi Thompson has collaborated for a third time with big band Africa Brass on his new album, Blue Jazz. Saxophonists Gary Bartz and Billy Harper join the “freebop” player for two suites, the “Black Metropolis” and the “Blues For A Saint Called Louis.”
Saxophonist Fred Anderson has five new 10+ minute compositions on his latest release, Back At The Velvet Lounge. Trumpeter Maurice Brown, guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Tatsu Aoki, drummer Chad Taylor and instrumentalist Harrison Bankhead backed Anderson at the Chicago club session.
Titration is the first studio album from drummer Chad Taylor’s band Active Ingredients. Under the supervision of Bob Koester, Taylor, saxophonists Jemeel Moondoc and David Boykin, bassist Tom Abbs, trombonist Steve Swell, cornetist Rob Mazurek and percussionist Avreeayl Ra recorded the nine original compositions in July of 2002.
Delmark will also release previously issued material in November on 50th Anniversary Saver Series CDs. These albums will include South Side Chicago Blues, Wild About That Thing: Ladies Sing Classic Blues and Chicago Avant Today. They are due out Nov. 18.
For more information, visit www.delmark.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…