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…
Bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding and pianist Fred Hersch are raising funds for Jazz Foundation of America amid the pandemic.
(Photo: Christopher Drukker)Bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding and pianist Fred Hersch recorded a 2018 run at New York’s Village Vanguard, and a five-song digital EP derived from the engagement is aiming to raise funds for Jazz Foundation of America’s COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund.
Live At The Village Vanguard—Rough Mix EP: A Benefit Recording For The Jazz Foundation Of America opens with the Gershwin tune “But Not For Me,” while Spalding (who sticks to vocals across the recording) takes on songs like “Girl Talk” and “Some Other Time,” moving between proper lyrics and scat interpretations.
“I think there’s a lot of joy and beauty in this music that Fred and I made,” Spalding said in a press release. “Beyond collecting money for musicians in need, sharing the beauty in our hearts can have a healing effect as well.”
The recording—which will be available through June at a cost of $17—follows an outpouring of relief efforts, including JFA’s own May 14 #TheNewGig streaming concert. On May 28, the organization also announced that several entities had contributed to the COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund, including Blue Note Records, Concord Jazz, Mack Avenue Records, the Verve Label Group, Warner Music Group, Amazon Music, Apple Music and the Herb Alpert Foundation.
“[A]n immense amount of work remains to be done, and the tremendous response we have received to date only scratches the surface when you consider the thousands of musicians and families in economic free-fall across the country who are now in need of emergency financial support for basic necessities like groceries and utility payments,” JFA Executive Director Joe Petrucelli said in a press release. 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…
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…
Richie Beirach was particularly renowned for his approach to chromatic harmony, which he used to improvise reharmonizations of originals and standards.
Jan 27, 2026 11:19 AM
Richie Beirach, a pianist and composer who channeled a knowledge of modern classical music into his jazz practice,…
“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…
