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…
Davis founded Pyroclastic Records in 2016.
(Photo: Caroline Mardok)Pianist and composer Kris Davis will present the Pyroclastic Records Festival Jan. 13–14 during the New York Winter JazzFest. Performances will take place at The Jazz Gallery, 1158 Broadway, fifth floor, in New York City.
On Friday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m., bassist Chris Lightcap’s Superette Deluxe with guitarists Steve Cardenas and Luca Benedetti, keyboardist Brian Marsella and drummer Dan Rieser will perform. Later that evening, at 9:30 p.m., the festival will present the Mary Halvorson (guitar)/Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) Duo Searching for the Disappeared Hour. Pianist Craig Taborn will play a Friday-night solo set starting at 11 p.m.
Bassist Eric Revis’ quintet Slipknots Through a Looking Glass with pianist Kris Davis, drummer Chad and saxophonists Darius Jones and Bill McHenry will kick off the Saturday night portion of the fest with a 7:30 p.m. performance. Patricia Brennan More Touch (Brennan, vibraphone, marimba; Kim Cass, bass; Mauricio Herrera, percussion; Marcus Gilmore, drums) will take the stage at 9:30 p.m.
Davis founded Pyroclastic Records in 2016 to support artists in the dissemination of their work by empowering emerging and established artists to challenge conventional genre-labeling within their fields. The label supports diversity and expanding the audience for noncommercial art. This year, Pyroclastic plans to release albums by Davis, Ingrid Laubrock, Mark Dresser, Sylvie Courvoisier and Cory Smythe, Brandon Seabrook and Angelica Sanchez, among others.
For more information, visit jazzgallery.org or pyroclasticrecords.com. 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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