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…
Saxophonist Gary Smulyan has announced plans to release a new album, High Noon: The Jazz Soul Of Frankie Laine (Reservoir) on Jan. 28, 2009.
The album explores the work of vocalist and composer Frankie Laine, who died in February 2007. As a singer/songwriter, Laine released hit records like “Mule Train” and “Jezebel” in the ‘40s and ‘50s and sang the theme songs to the television series Rawhide and films like 3:10 To Yuma and Blazing Saddles in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Laine was also a prolific composer with more than 80 songs to his credit.
Smulyan worked with arranger Mark Masters of Los Angeles’ American Jazz Institute to select 10 songs that display the depth and sophistication of Laine’s music. Tunes include hits like “High Noon” and “That Lucky Old Sun,” along with Laine’s own compositions like “Baby, Baby All The Time,” “I’d Give My Life” and “We’ll Be Together Again.”
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.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
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.”
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…
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…
