Photo: JQRalph / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Ken Peplowski

ケン・ペプロウスキー　/　けん・ぺぷろうすきー

American clarinetist

May 23, 1959 (age 67)　・　Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Ohio
clarinetist
jazz musician
saxophonist

My Take

Ken Peplowski is one of those musicians I genuinely admire for staying loyal to swing when so much of jazz chased the next big thing. A clarinetist and tenor saxophonist out of Cleveland, he spent more than a decade recording for Concord, building a catalog that prizes warmth and craft over flash. What strikes me is how unfashionable his devotion to the old idiom was, and how little that seemed to bother him. Learning he passed in early 2026 hit me as the close of a quietly important chapter. I respect performers who keep a tradition alive simply because they love it, and he clearly did.

Overview

Kenneth Joseph Peplowski (May 23, 1959 – February 2, 2026) was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. He was known primarily for playing swing music. For over a decade, Peplowski recorded for Concord Records.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English): Ken Peplowski
Name (Japanese): ケン・ペプロウスキー
Reading: けん・ぺぷろうすきー
Born: May 23, 1959 (age 67)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Gemini / Boar
Origin: Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Blood type: Private
Height: Private
Agency: Private
Occupation: clarinetist / jazz musician / saxophonist / musician

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Private
University: Private

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

6. Links

Official sitehttps://www.kenpeplowski.com/
Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B1%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9A%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%A6%E3%82%B9%E3%82%AD%E3%83%BC

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