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…
Jon Faddis and The Chicago Jazz Ensemble will present its 10th American Heritage Jazz series, featuring the performance “Paquito D’Rivera and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble: Commemorating Goodman, Celebrating Swing and Latin Jazz,” on Dec. 12 at the Harris Theater, Chicago. Faddis, artistic director of the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, will also present a pre-concert conversation about the performance with Neil Tesser before the show.
“Paquito and I first met on the bandstand when we both were sitting in with Dizzy Gillespie in the 1980s,” Faddis said. “We continued to work together with Diz and, of course, with Diz’s United Nation Orchestra, for which we each served as music director over the years. I’m excited to once again share the stage with Paquito, who is a master of classical, jazz and Caribbean-infused music. He is tremendous fun and a great friend. With the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, these renditions of Benny Goodman’s music will definitely shine.”
The Chicago Jazz Ensemble’s 10th anniversary series will also include “The Great American Songbook,” featuring Bobbi Wilsyn, on Feb. 20, and “The Artist of the Composer: Music by William Russo and Frank Foster” on March 20.
More info: chicagojazzensemble.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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