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

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

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.

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

Monster player. A traditionalist; more to the “Swing” side of things and probably why he is not better known.  I agree with your description.  Glad that you have discovered him. The Deerhead Inn is a Jazz institution. The Delaware Water Gap was home to the great Phil Woods who appeared there very frequently. Great place.

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I became aware of Ken through the local Jazz radio station here in LA (KCRW) maybe 20 or so years ago. 

Solid player, active player, young but old enough (in relative terms) to have played with some heavyweights in his earlier years. 

Thanx for the heads up. 

A forum member discovered Gordon Goodwin's band at a gig in CA last year.

There is no subsitute for live revealation

@bruce19 Thanks for your post. Listening to Ken Peplowski’s "In Search Of..."

The DWG reference brings back good memories. It was on my commute. Also, many rides in / through the area. My ancestors (Mom’s side) first settled in Stroudsburg. I’ll have to stop by the Deerhead Inn when I’m in the area next.