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…
The ninth annual Empty Bottle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday, June 16 with a free performance. The following three days have a $15 cover.
The lineup for the festival includes:
June 15: Chicago Ad Hoc: A first time meeting of 10 performers featuring an amalgam of instrumental combinations ranging from brass to reeds to electronics to strings.
June 16: Peter Brotzmann and Nasheet Waits; Davey Williams with Jim Baker & Tim Daisy; The Rempis Percussion Ensemble; and a surprise set.
June 17: Ken Vandermark with Torsten Muller, Paul Rutherford, & Dylan Van Der Schyff; Peter Brotzmann, Kent Kessler, Paul Rutherford, & Nasheet Waits; The Tatsu Aoki, Ed Wilkerson Jr., Michael Zerang Trio; and a surprise set.
June 18: Sam Rivers; The Robert Barry, Paul Rutherford Duo; The Fred Lonberg-Holm Trio; Relay Signals featuring Jason Ajemian, Zoe Buck, Tim Daisy, Ernst Karel, and Aram Shelton.
For more details, go to www.emptybottle.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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