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…
Oscar Peterson Trio’s On A Clear Day–Live in Zurich, 1971 (Mack Avenue)
(Photo: RSD)Every year, while shoppers rush out for deals at big box stores after Thanksgiving, a smaller contingent files out for Record Store Day Black Friday — though things are likely get just as heated among those lining up for these tasty new platters as, say, those looking for a hot deal on a giant TV. DownBeat has scrubbed the RSD Black Friday list and presents the best of it — from jazz, blues and beyond — below. Good luck snagging these!
• Mose Allison
Live 1978 (Liberation Hall)
• Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
Cheek To Cheek: Live! (Streamline/Interscope)
• Big Bill Broonzy
Live In Amsterdam, 1953 (Liberation Hall)
• Larry Coryell
Coryell (Culture Factory USA)
• Ahmad Jamal
Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthouse (1963–1964), Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthouse (1965–1966) (Deep Digs/The Jazz Detective)
• Etta James
Etta Is Betta Than Evvah! (Anagram)
• Skip James
The Complete 1931 Session (ORG Music)
• Lonnie Mack with Stevie Ray Vaughan
Strike Like Lightning (Alligator)
• Charles Mingus
Mingus (Candid)
• Thelonious Monk
The Classic Quartet (Candid)
• Jaco Pastorius
Truth, Liberty & Soul–Live In NYC: The Complete 1982 NPR Jazz Alive! Recording (Resonance)
• Oscar Peterson Trio
On A Clear Day–Live in Zurich, 1971 (Mack Avenue)
• Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers
Super Freak (Ubiquity Records)
recordstoreday.com/NewsItem/10387
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…
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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Richie Beirach, a pianist and composer who channeled a knowledge of modern classical music into his jazz practice,…
“I play what I want and what I like,” said Andrew Cyrille. “I use my knowledge artistically and professionally.”
Feb 3, 2026 12:15 AM
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…
