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…
Birdland is set to host the eighth annual Django Reinhardt Festival from Nov. 6-11 in New York.
This year’s event will bring American and European musicians together in celebration of the legendary Gypsy guitarist. Reinhardt pioneered a style called “le jazz hot” in Paris during the 1930s, becoming Europe’s first widely recognized jazz figure.
Performers at the festival include David Reinhardt (Django’s grandson), French guitarist Dorado Schmitt and saxophonist Joel Frahm. In addition, a tour will bookend the festival, with select musicians performing in such cities as Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
For more information on the festival and tour, see djangobirdland.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…
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Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall
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They were Berklee misfits. Neither jazzy enough for the straightahead crowd at Boston’s highly prestigious College of…
