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…
On June 29, the Impulse! label issued previously unreleased studio recordings by John Coltrane (left), Elvin Jones, Jimmy Garrison and McCoy Tyner under the title Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album.
(Photo: © Jim Marshall Photography LLC)
Jason Moran and Alicia Hall Moran perform at the 2015 Venice Biennale in Italy.
(Photo: Courtesy Venice Biennial)
Bassist Christian McBride (left) and Bootsy Collins sat down for a moderated conversation with journalist Andy Hermann in Los Angeles.
(Photo: Paul Wellman)
Kurt Elling performs during the 2018 North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
(Photo: Courtesy North Sea Jazz Festival)
The performers in Angel Bat Dawid’s Cosmic Love Arkestra include elders of the Chicago jazz scene, who the composer said “are very important to me.”
(Photo: Vino Taylor)
Pianist and bandleader Alfredo Rodríguez remembers living in Cuba, wishing he “could talk and play with American musicians.”
(Photo: Anna Webber)
Saxophonist Caroline Davis’ new album, ‘Heart Tonic,’ is informed by her study of the heart.
(Photo: Courtesy of the Artist)
After touring together internationally and playing with various dance projects since 2015, drummer Allison Miller and pianist Carmen Staaf recorded their first co-led album, ‘Science Fair.’
(Photo: Chris Drukker)
Through her music, saxophonist Nubya Garcia explores her West Indian heritage.
(Photo: Adama Jollah)During 2018, DownBeat published hundreds of articles and album reviews. What’s below, though, are some features and web stories that seemed to have stuck out, whether for the sheer quality of the prose or simply the importance, thoughtfulness or audacity of the performers who were profiled.
There’s a lot to wade through, so take your time, and let the intensity and virtue of each of these players wash over you. Your new favorite recording might be buried in there somewhere. DB
A Year After Geri Allen’s Death, a Tribute from Howard University
Alice Coltrane Concluded Trilogy with ‘Lord Of Lords’
Amid Renaissance, Hailu Mergia Keenly Aware of Time
Angel Bat Dawid Reaches for the Cosmos with Opera
Anthony Braxton Issues an 11-Disc Charlie Parker Project
Arturo O’Farrill’s ‘Fandango’ Spans Border To Unify Cultures, Musics
Bassist Adi Meyerson’s Poise and Presence
Brötzmann Reflects on ‘Machine Gun’ as it Hits 50th Anniversary
Christian McBride & Bootsy Collins: ‘All for the Funk of It’
Coltrane’s ‘Lost’ 1963 Studio Album Found
Connie Han on Cyberpunk, Jazz Education and Values
David Virelles Seeks Out a Certain Spirit
Despite Growing Pains, L.A. Jazz Scene Continues to Blossom
The Distinct Groove of Allison Miller and Carmen Staaf
Eric Dolphy: The ‘Prophet’ of Freedom
Flutist Mayu Saeki Searches Her Soul
In Tandem, the Morans Expand Notions of Art
Julian Lage Takes a ‘Page from the Rock ’n’ Roll Book’
Kandace Springs Motors Forward
Louis Armstrong House Museum Digitizes Life of an Icon
María Grand’s New Disc Informed by Vocalists, Influential Social Scientist
Medeski Martin & Wood Enter the ‘Omnisphere’
New Documentary Examines Milford Graves’ Music and Philosophy
Nubya Garcia Wields a Luminous Tone
The Odyssey of Drummer Selim Selçuk’s First Album
Preliminary Preservation Plans Announced for Coltrane Home
Q&A with Alfredo Rodríguez: Global References
Q&A with Roxy Coss: Seeking a Unique Voice
Q&A with Simphiwe Dana: Lasting Music
Q&A with Tutu Puoane: ‘Aware of the World’
Q&A with Vocalist Fay Claassen: Getting at the Whole Picture
Rosnes Leads Collective in New York Debut
Saxophonist Caroline Davis Takes Humanity’s Pulse
Shabaka Hutchings: Britain’s Best Export
Stefon Harris’ Nurturing Spirit
Ten Years of Evolution Led Singer Sara Serpa to her Latest Album
Triple Play: Three North Sea Jazz Festival Blindfold Tests (Kurt Elling, Jazzmeia Horn, Vijay Iyer)
Vocalist Johnaye Kendrick Takes Flight
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…
