Any fans of Ken Peplowski here?


I thought I knew the jazz scene moderately well but, earlier this year I had the good fortune to be at the Deerhead Inn in Delaware Water Gap, Pa. when Ken Peplowski was playing. Till that night I never had heard of him but he was the cleanest, best toned clarinet and sax player that I have ever witnessed. Turns out he has been around for ages and played with many if not most of the greats. PLUS for us audiophiles I was pleased to find his recordings are almost always top notch! So far I have not found one recording of his that is not a delight to listen to. His timing is impeccable while at the same time appearing effortless. I really enjoyed how he employed dynamics at the Deerheard that night to raise and lower the level of his playing. He would occasionally take the melody so soft the whole club would hush so that they could follow him. The Deerhead is always great that way. When they have a master like Mr. Peplowski they respond and the crowd there is almost always courteous and respectful of the performers, not talking while the performance is in progress. If you are ever in the area you should not miss a chance to visit this club, it is a bit of Jazz history, America's oldest continuously performing jazz club!

Ag insider logo xs@2xbruce19

Thanks for the heads up Ken wasn't on my radar queued up a few of his releases for later!

Hope you like him. I agree, smooth swing is his thing. But his recordings are also technically right too which adds a lot to the experience.

Bruce I am right now listening to Ken Peplowski Meets Alan Barnes and it definitely swings it's great!