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…
This year’s Jazz in June, Ravinia’s festival-within-a-festival, kicks off June 21 at the Martin Theatre with the Joshua Redman Quartet and pianist Hiromi, with a master class by the latter prior to the concert.
On June 22, the festival presents “Jazz with the Joffrey” featuring the Ramsey Lewis Trio with Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet, which will be choreographed by Donald Byrd. Vocalist Roberta Gambarini will also perform in a Martin Theatre Jazz Preview Concert.
Wynton Marsalis brings the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s new work “Congo Square” to the pavilion on June 23. This cross-cultural musical collaboration between Marsalis and drummer Yacub Addy was inspired by the public square of the same name in New Orleans that led historians to name that city the birthplace of jazz. Addy’s eight-piece ensemble Odadaa! will join the orchestra.
The Jazz in June series concludes on June 24 with a Latin Jazz Dance Night. A tented dance floor will be set up on the north lawn and guests are welcome enter the festival’s second-annual dance contest, hosted by the Women’s Board of Ravinia Festival. Trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, the Caribbean Jazz Project and Diane Schuur featuring Dave Samuels will take the stage throughout the evening.
The Original Pin Stripe Brass Band will return to Ravinia this year to lead revelers in a parade around the park between events on all four days of Jazz in June.
The purchase of a single pavilion or lawn ticket to the main event concert provides free first-come, first-served seating to master classes, Jazz Previews and Late Show performances. A Jazz Passport, $120 for reserved seats or $30 for lawn, will grant access to all Jazz in June events.
Other Ravinia headliners outside of the Jazz in June series include David Sanborn with Tower of Power, B.B. King, Madeleine Peyroux, Dr. John, Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi and Tony Bennett.
For more information, visit: www.ravinia.org
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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