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…
Keiko Matsui’s new album, Euphoria, comes out March 31.
(Photo: Courtesy Shanachie)Pianist and composer Keiko Matsui plans to release her 30th album, called Euphoria (Shanachie), on March 31. DownBeat got an early listen to this star-studded affair, which includes Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, Grégoire Maret, John Beasley, Joel Ross, Lalah Hathaway and Kirk Whalum.
Check out the title track, featuring Ross on vibes and arranged by Beasley, by clicking on the image below.
“This album is about the hope that we all carry inside of us,” said Matsui, who has worked with everyone from Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder to Bob James and Hugh Masekela. “I have this dream where we can each cherish our own happiness and learn to accept and care for one another. When I tour around the world and witness how my music cuts through our differences and connects everyone, it makes me feel euphoric.” 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…
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
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John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
“I play what I want and what I like,” said Andrew Cyrille. “I use my knowledge artistically and professionally.”
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Midway through August, a few days after concluding a week at the Village Vanguard with the quartet that Andrew Cyrille…
Marsalis will, if he chooses to use it, have a strong voice in perpetuating his vision through a role in choosing his successors.
Feb 3, 2026 12:09 AM
For the better part of a year, rumors have been swirling that Wynton Marsalis was going to step down as artistic and…
Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall
Feb 17, 2026 11:05 AM
They were Berklee misfits. Neither jazzy enough for the straightahead crowd at Boston’s highly prestigious College of…
