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…
Henry Threadgill has been honored with a Lifetime Achivement in Jazz award from the Jazz Journalists Association.
(Photo: Nhumi Threadgill)Henry Threadgill, Kamasi Washington, Maria Schneider and DownBeat are among the honorees for the 20th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards.
The awards for Threadgill (Lifetime Achivement in Jazz) and other artists were announced in May. Schneider, an acclaimed bandleader and Grammy winner, picked up five awards, topping the categories for Record of the Year (The Thompson Fields), Musician of the Year, Composer of the Year, Arranger of the Year and Large Ensemble of the Year (Maria Schneider Orchestra).
Washington—the tenor saxophonist whose album The Epic (Brainfeeder) was one of the most talked-about albums of 2015—was honored as Up And Coming Artist of the Year.
Among the other previously announced honorees for musical achievement, Wadada Leo Smith was named Trumpeter of the Year, and Jane Ira Bloom was named Soprano Saxophonist of the Year.
On June 15 at the Blue Note club in New York City, the JJA presented the Jazz Awards for Journalism and Media. DownBeat was named the inaugural winner of the category Jazz Periodical of the Year (a new category that combines the previous categories Jazz Publication of the Year and Jazz Website of the Year).
Ted Panken, a longtime contributor to DownBeat, was honored with the award for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism.
To see a complete list of winners, visit the JJA 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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