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…
Dave McMurray (left), Esperanza Spalding, Ravi Coltrane and Terri Lyne Carrington pay tribute to the late Geri Allen at the 2018 Detroit Jazz Festival.
(Photo: Tak Tokiwa/Detroit Jazz Festival)The Detroit Jazz Festival, which previously announced its move online and focus on local talent, today presented the lineup for Sept. 4-7.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to showcase our Detroit talent, our Detroit sound, to the global jazz community,” Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation President and Artistic Director Chris Collins said in a press release. “The lineup of Detroit jazz legacy artists, coupled with the up-and-coming generation of jazz revolutionaries will provide an exciting jazz journey through Detroit’s past, present and future.”
Among the acts set to appear are Pharoah Sanders, Robert Glasper, Robert Hurst, Rodney Whitaker, Steve Turre and Sister Strings. Joan Belgrave also will present The Marcus Belgrave Legacy Ensemble.
Performances are set to be broadcast live from the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. There won’t be live audiences, but the same lighting and sound tech at traditional festivals will be utilized, according to the release. Streams and broadcasts will be available on the festival’s website and social accounts, local Channel 22, on public radio and through the DetroitJazzFest LIVE! app. 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…
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