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 fourth annual Panama Jazz Festival will be held in Panama City, Jan. 18–20, 2007. Along with festival organizer Danilo Perez, other featured acts include Nneena Feelon, Edmar Castaneda and Billy Cobham. Victor Paz will lead the Panamerican Big Band, which will bring together students from the New England Conservatory, Berklee College of Music and the University of Panama.
Next year’s festival honoree will be Panamanian vocalist Barbara Wilson, who died in June 2005. Perez called her, “the Billie Holiday of Panama.”
“Barbara’s life is the perfect example of the struggle that many great musicians live in Latin America,” Perez said. “She was able to bridge styles and genres with tremendous ease without losing her jazz sensibility. We hope that her tribute will serve as an inspiration for future generations.”
For more information go to: panamajazzfestival.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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