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 Syracuse Jazz Festival, which will be held from June 23 to 25 at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, N.Y., will salute three American cities.
On Friday, June 23, the festival will start with a “Salute To Detroit,” with headliners David “Fathead” Newman’s Tribute To Ray Charles (featuring Howard Johnson and Detroit’s Marcus Belgrave) and The Funk Brothers of Motown Records fame. Saturday’s concerts will pay tribute to New Orleans with C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Marcia Ball and Dr. John. Cornell Dupree and Les McCann will close out the festival on Sunday with an homage to Memphis.
“By creating dedicated theme nights at the 2006 festival that celebrate and salute three of America’s most renowned musical hubs, we were able to put together a diverse musical lineup that doubles as a history lesson in American popular culture,” said Syracuse Jazz Fest founder and artistic director Frank Malfitano.
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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… The success of Oregon’s first album, 1971’s Music Of Another Present Era, allowed Towner to establish a solo career. Jan 19, 2026 5:02 PM Ralph Towner, a guitarist and composer who blended multiple genres, including jazz — and throughout them all remained… 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… Rico’s Anti-Microbial Instrument Swab Jan 19, 2026 2:48 PM With this year’s NAMM Show right around the corner, we can look forward to plenty of new and innovative instruments… Richie Beirach was particularly renowned for his approach to chromatic harmony, which he used to improvise reharmonizations of originals and standards. Jan 27, 2026 11:19 AM Richie Beirach, a pianist and composer who channeled a knowledge of modern classical music into his jazz practice,…
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