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 Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, directed by drummer Bobby Sanabria, will perform a concert April 1 in New York celebrating the 50th anniversary of Machito and The Afro-Cubans 1957’s album Kenya.
That evening they will present the first live performance of Kenya with “Kenya Revisited” offering new arrangements of the work, recreating the first time this recording has been performed live. Joining as guest artist will be NEA jazz master Camero Candido on congas, who played on the original recording 50 years ago.
Machito and The Afro-Cubans under the musical direction of Mario Bauzá recorded Kenya in Dec. 1957 in New York at the Odd Fellows Temple. The recording featured Cannonball Adderley, Joe Newman, Doc Cheatham and Candido Camero.
More info: msmnyc.edu
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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