Arguably the three greatest jazz clarinetists on the planet — Anat Cohen, Paquito D’Rivera, and Ken Peplowski– played together several times (left to right, in photo above) on the recent Jazz Cruise. Peplowski, who had once been a tenor saxophonist with Benny Goodman, recalled to Cruise Consultant Lee Mergner “the huge rivalry” between Goodman and Artie Shaw. “Those days are gone now,” Peplowski said, “because we realize there’s few enough of us, so we need to support each other and just get up there and have fun.”
The 66-year-old Peplowski passed away on February 2, the final night of the cruise. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2021 but had continued to perform regularly as he battled the disease. Cause of death has not been announced.
“We did a bunch of three-clarinet things this week, and he sounded amazing,” Cohen told WRTI Radio’s Nate Chinen. “Then on Monday morning, he and I had what they call a Coffee Talk. So, basically at 9:45 in the morning, we sat down on the stage and about 100 people came out of their rooms to ask us questions, just chit-chatting about life and the clarinet. Then he said, ‘I have a gig this afternoon,’ and went to his cabin to rest. He never made it to the gig.”
Members of the jazz community have responded with shock, of course, recalling not only his virtuosic playing but his warm sense of humor.
“We lost a true giant today,” pianist Emmet Cohen told DownBeat‘s Michael J. West. “A brilliant musician, a pioneer of the clarinet, and a gentle soul, he touched so many people through his artistry. Ken contained a quirky, comedic genius and would light up any room or stage.”
Bassist/vocalist Nicki Parrott (on Facebook) said, “His ability to make you laugh right as you were counting off the time was a rare and natural gift that he possessed. Ken always brought his best to the bandstand, and I’ll never forget his generosity, humor, and that warm beautiful tone.”
Anat Cohen pointed out that Peplowski “comes from the classical tradition of the clarinet. His sound is just so warm and beautiful and inviting and caressing. When we talked Monday morning in front of the public, I actually asked him: ‘Is it true that you practice classical clarinet mostly?’, and he said that he did. That’s what I adored: he had an impeccable technique, but he never played for the sake of technique. He used it for the expression.”
Originally from Cleveland, Peplowski went on the road with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra led by trombonist Buddy Morrow in the late 1970s. In a December 2012 interview with Jersey Jazz‘s Schaen Fox, he reminisced about those days. “I was 19 or 20 years old. I was in the lead alto chair, and he (Morrow) gave me a 10-15 minute feature on clarinet with just the rhythm section on every show. He really encouraged me as a player and gave me a lot of advice about playing lead in the sax section.
“I stayed with that band for two or two-and-a-half years. After that, Buddy convinced me to move to New York. He said, ‘If you are going to leave, you shouldn’t go back to Cleveland and be a big fish in a small pond. You should go where you are going to be challenged.” Peplowski said he was in New York “for three or four months before I got a real paying job. What you had to do was sit in every place you could, like Condon’s and Jimmy Ryan’s. Ed Polcer was really nice to me back then. He used to have me sub at Condon’s all the time. The older musicians were really really kind to us all and very helpful. Milt Hinton, Bucky, Buddy Tate, Flip Phillips all helped me a lot.”
Fox asked Peplowski about his well-known sense of humor, and he replied that “Some of my heroes were some of those old humorists from The New Yorker — S.J. Perelman, Thurber, and Robert Benchley. Also, I’m really into older comedy, like The Jack Benny Show with all those great writers. I’ve been putting things down on the road in notebooks and trying to see what comes out.”
The New Jersey Jazz Society, Peplowski told Fox, “gave me some of my first breaks. I remember we used to play those really fun weekends out at Waterloo Village with Jay McShann, Buddy Tate . . . I met a lot of good friends out there. That music we made was old friends getting together and having fun.”
Another important mentor was pianist Dick Hyman. I saw them play together twice at the Sarasota Jazz Festival — in 2017 and 2022. At the 2022, concert, Hyman asked Peplowski, ‘How long have we been doing this?’ Peplowski responded, ‘Since the early ’80s.’ Then, he told the audience that Hyman “did a fiendish thing to me at the Piano Spectacular at Waterloo Village. Someone was late, and Dick said, ‘Ken, I need you to play for 15 minutes.’ I said, ‘Who am I playing with?’ And, he said, ‘No one.'”
Peplowski’s first album as a leader, Double Exposure, was released on the Concord label in 1987. Reviewing it for AllMusic, Scott Yanow wrote: “Peplowski comes across as a superior swing specialist, particularly on such numbers as ‘I Would Do Anything for You,’ ‘Jubilee’, and ‘Careless Love.’ A superb start to an important career.” Since then, he has released more than 70 albums as a leader or co-leader.
Two of his more recent albums were Unheard Bird, released in April, 2024 on Arbors Records and Live at Mezzrow, released in July 2024 on the Cellar/SmallsLIVE label. Unheard Bird included string arrangements written for Charlie Parker but never recorded by him. In addition to a five-piece string section, Peplowski is joined on the record by trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Glen Zaleski, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Willie Jones III. Reviewing it for Jersey Jazz, Joe Lang wrote that, “Peplowski, Stafford, and the rhythm section bring their own aesthetic visions to the music, capturing the spirit of Parker while putting forth their individuality as jazz improvisers.”
Live at Mezzrow features Peplowski, pianist Ted Rosenthal, bassist Martin Wind and drummer Jones III playing standards such as Jerome Kern’s “All The Things You Are”, Johnny Mandel’s “The Shadow of Your Smile”, and Duke Ellington’s “Who Knows.” Peplowski, JJ‘s Lang wrote, “is always creative in his playing, no matter the tempo, and his sound is a sheer delight to hear on both of his instruments.”
Rosenthal, upon hearing of Peplowski’s death, posted this on Facebook: “I am heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing of my dear friend and musical collaborator. I’ve known Ken for 40 years, and we’ve done so many musical projects together — recordings, NYC gigs, and touring to places near and far. His music covered so much beautiful territory — swinging, lyrical, tasteful. His quick wit also made him a consummate entertainer.”
Peplowski is survived by his girlfriend, Pam Stark; a brother, Ted; and a son and daughter, Marty and Juliana Peplowski, who live in Sweden.-SANFORD JOSEPHSON
ANAT COHEN, PAQUITO D’RIVERA, KEN PEPLOWSKI PHOTO BY JOHN ABBOTT
