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Jazz - The Ken
Peplowski Quartet
Many consider Ken Peplowski to be the best jazz clarinetist
in the world, and he isn’t bad on the tenor sax, either.
He came to fame as part of the swing revival in the States
in the eighties, and learnt much of what he knows playing
sax with the late Benny Goodman, whilst picking up tips on
Goodman’s unique clarinet style. “I think he was
as great as a figure to the clarinet as Louis Armstrong was
to the trumpet,” says Peplowski of his mentor. “He
was an astounding virtuoso with incredible technique and a
thorough knowledge of chords and rhythm: he did a lot of things
harmonically that were way ahead of his time.” He learnt
pretty well: Mel Tormé, another of the greats with
whom Peplowski played, said of him “since the advent
of Benny Goodman, there have been too few clarinetists to
fill the void that Goodman left. Ken Peplowski is most certainly
one of those few. The man is magic.”
Peplowski has the reputation, too, of being a great showman.
Having played with the likes of Charlie Byrd, Peggy Lee, George
Shearing and Walter Vache Jr, he’s had plenty of chance
to pick up on how the greats perform. It is Goodman, however,
who clearly had the biggest influence. “Benny was very
demanding on the musicians and on himself,” continues
Peplowski. “Part of the key to unlocking the enigma
of him is that he thought about music 24 hours a day.”
AL
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