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…
Madeleine Peyroux is set to issue Anthem (UMG) on Aug. 31.
(Photo: Shervin Lainez)The personal is political, but singer Madeleine Peyroux made sure to keep her pending album—Anthem (UMG) due out Aug. 31—from being preachy.
On the disc—which was produced by Larry Klein, who’s worked with everyone from Freddie Hubbard to Tracy Chapman and Melody Gardot—Peyroux explores contemporary society on a handful of tracks written during the 2016 election cycle. And “On My Own,” a first-person trip through a day in Peyroux’s life, finds the singer turning in a seemingly playful track that’s as tied to a Kinksian pop lineage as it is to lightly swinging jazz and the singer-songwriter genre.
“I think of ‘On My Own’ as a new song about loneliness,” Peyroux said. “I feel a little odd, too small, too big, out of place and alone. But the world around me is also strange, full of all sizes, all perspectives, constantly changing. So, perhaps I, too, can change.”
For more information about Peyroux’s work and upcoming tour dates, visit her website. 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…
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Richie Beirach was particularly renowned for his approach to chromatic harmony, which he used to improvise reharmonizations of originals and standards.
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