Jazz Articles about Ken Peplowski

About Ken Peplowski

Album Review

Ted Rosenthal Trio: The Good Old Days

Read "The Good Old Days" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
May 14, 2026

In 2024, Ted Rosenthal dove deeply into the piano trio tradition. High Standards, The Ted Rosenthal Songbook and Classics Reimagined: Impromptu were all released in 2025, all on the TRM Music label. The Good Old Days, the fourth album from those bountiful sessions, released in 2026, presents Rosenthal's vision via multiple moods and thematic twists as his two trios explore early jazz styles, interpreting them in a modern style. Rosenthal's style is ebullient, in the manner of Ahmad ...

Radio & Podcasts

Ted Rosenthal, Bernie Senensky, Michel Petrucciani, Faye Carol & Ken Peplowski

by Joe Dimino
April 12, 2026

We kick off the 953rd Episode of Neon Jazz in style--guided by the elegant touch of Ted Rosenthal and the timeless voice of the late, great Ken Peplowski. Their music from the 2026 album The Good Old Days sets the tone--both a celebration and a heartfelt nod to a true legend whose sound remains woven into the fabric of jazz. From there, the journey opens up with a wave of fresh energy and seasoned mastery. We dive into new sounds ...

Album Review

Marina Pacowski: New Jazz Standards, Volume 7

Read "New Jazz Standards, Volume 7" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
June 6, 2025

To those who know--really know--their breathtaking jazz trumpeters, Carl Saunders was definitely in a class by himself. Simply put, there was nothing Saunders could not do on the horn, from nailing seemingly insurmountable high notes to creating intricate and mind- blowing solos, all the while making it seem so effortless that many listeners thought he must have found and harnessed a secret weapon of which others were unaware. What many of his admirers did not know was ...

Album Review

Ken Peplowski: Live at Mezzrow

Read "Live at Mezzrow" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
September 29, 2024

When one is diagnosed with multiple myeloma, as woodwind specialist Ken Peplowski was in June 2021, there are basically two alternatives: either accept the decision and throw in the towel or choose to fight and double down on doing what keeps you active and hopeful, in this case making beautiful music that swings. Obviously, as epitomized by the album Live at Mezzrow, Peplowski chose the latter path, and three years on has apparently won the battle, at least for now, ...

Album Review

Ken Peplowski: Unheard Bird

Read "Unheard Bird" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
September 3, 2024

Even when the recording (in this case, two) is a classic--as, for example, Charlie Parker's memorable Bird with Strings (Mercury Records, 1950)--some songs that deserve better are necessarily left on the cutting-room floor. Some may see that as disappointing, while others--like reed specialist Ken Peplowski--embrace it as an opportunity. On Unheard Bird, Peplowski--with strings and a core quartet--presents a series of fourteen generally likable themes, most of which were destined for Parker's album but were somehow passed over, and three ...

Profile

Meet Ken Peplowski

by AAJ Staff
August 25, 2024

This article was first published on All About Jazz in August 1998. In numerous rave reviews, critics have exalted Ken Peplowski as the epitome of jazz traditionalism. But repeated listenings of his work reveals that Peplowski is perhaps more experimental and diverse than some have described him. It is worth noting that while Benny Goodman, {{Artie Shaw and Ben Webster are strong inspirations, Ken has also recorded songs by Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane (and even The Beatles). ...

Play This!

Ken Peplowski: All the Things You Are

by John Chacona
July 17, 2024

Even if you are new to jazz, you have likely heard “All the Things You Are" dozens of times, maybe hundreds. But you have never heard it like this. Jerome Kern's tour through the circle of fifths, catnip for improvisers, is usually played as a mid-tempo stroll or faster, but it was written as a ballad for the Broadway stage. On Live at Mezzrow (Cellar Music Group, 2024). Ken Peplowski doubles down on the concept, adopting a daringly slow tempo ...