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…
On July 4, the day Americans celebrate patriotism and independence, NPR will presents a live concert from New York City honoring New Yorkers and Americans through what trumpeter and bandleader Wynton Marsalis calls “the most democratic of art forms,” jazz. The broadcast, “Still Standing Tall,” anchored by NPR’s Neal Conan, will take place at Battery Park, a few blocks away from where the World Trade Center once stood, and will air on NPR member stations from 2-5 p.m. EST.
Conan will conduct interviews with artists featured in the concert as well as with New Yorkers in attendance. Wynton Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, will be onstage with his orchestra along with performers Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, The Juilliard Jazz Ensemble and other special guests. The program will be hosted onstage by Gary Walker of NPR member station WBGO, Newark, N.J. The concert is one of the highlights of New York’s “River to River Festival.” NPR member station WNYC New York Public Radio is a media sponsor of the festival.
“After September 11, I can’t think of a more appropriate place for an Independence Day broadcast,” said Conan. “The spirit and determination we’ve seen in New York are the same qualities of character that helped shape our nation and it will be a thrill to participate.”
The concert will be broadcast on pubic radio stations that air Talk of the Nation® from NPR News, public radio stations airing jazz music, and many other public radio stations throughout the country. For a list of NPR stations in your area, visit www.npr.org/members.
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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