visual research

visual research

Ken Peplowski

He was born in Cleveland, Ohio into a family of music. Once introduced to the world of jazz and making music he olny wanted more and more. His first professional showing was while he was still in grade school. and by the time he was in high school he was teaching at a local music shop. His reputation grew and he began preforming with many of the local jazz/ polka artists. He appeared in local media often with his trumpet playing brother. while doing all this he still maintained a high GPA and was a prominent figure in school. In high school his experiments with jazz started.  He would add a twit on classics and produce quick tunes based upon originals. 

Ken went to college for one year before joining the Tom Dorsey Orchestra. He stood out instantaneously and was offered to play lead alto and clarinet. during this budding stage of his career he played each day for 48 weeks out of the year. This diligence molded him into the solid and extraordinarily charismatic musician  he is today. 

In 1980 he moved to New York and started playing at venues there. He played the full spectrum of musical style while there. Fro polka to contemporary Jazz. He learned to take the styles and perfect them. To make each piece entertaining and enjoyable to listed to and to watch. 

In 1984 Benny Goodman, one of the all time greats of the jazz clarinet, came out of retirement and selected Ken to be on tenor sax. Under Goodman Ken learned discipline for benny was a quite stern bandleader, demanding the best from himself as well as those who were to be playing with him, or for him. 

Most people categorize him as a swing artist but many of his recent works are a mix of the standards by player such as Goodman himself and his own flair and experimentation.

He has a vast library of recorded tracks and a long resume which includes many different countries and bands he preformed with. 

Through listening to his music I noticed that his speed and exactness is an aspect of his skill that could not be looked over. While listening I felt as if I were on a ride. A exhilarating ride yet fully under control by his knowledge and expertise of the tool in his hands. Even when playing with another powerful musician , it is his sounds that make you almost smile to be experiencing them, and this is coming from a person who , but a few days ago had very little appreciation for jazz music.