Ken Peplowski—Swingin’ with Peps

Ken Peplowski has been a dominant figure in the resurgence of the clarinet in jazz over the past 35 years. A wonderful tenor saxophonist as well, Ken has issued 32 albums as a leader and been on many hundreds of recordings as a sideman. In this interview, he talks about growing up in Cleveland and cutting his teeth in the business as a young musician on the Tommy Dorsey band. He speaks fondly of his mentors including Buddy Morrow, Milt Hinton, Sonny Stitt, etc. Ken demonstrates what he prioritizes in his warmups and plays a beautiful solo rendition of "Poor Butterfly" during the interview. Enjoy!