Ken Peplowski Quartet

Ken Peplowski Quartet – When You Wish Upon A Star (2007) [Japan 2015]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 66:13 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 2,69 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 1,28 GB

Ken Peplowski has become a household name in Japan, where Venus Records has released no less than three of his albums in recent years. On this release, the arrangements are varied, so the album doesn’t feel monotonous. There are two versions of this album. One where Ken Peplowski plays the songs on tenor saxophone and another where he plays the songs on clarinet. This is the release where he plays clarinet. Peplowski’s clarinet sounds are warm, attractive, and eloquent, while still rooted in the jazz tradition. His playing is so expressive that it’s possible to almost hear the lyrics of each song when he plays the melody.

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Ken Peplowski Quartet – Petite Fleur (2019) [Japan]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 65:04 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 2,62 GB
or FLAC Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 1,46 GB

The Ken Peplowski quartet, consisting of Olel Kock Hansen, Hans Backenroth and Kristian Leth, perform eight jazz tunes including “Blue Bossa”, “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing”, and “What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life”.

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Ken Peplowski Quartet – Memories Of You, Vol.2 (2006) [Japan 2016]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 41:37 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 1,69 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 846 MB

He was a great actor, but the Ken Peplows Quartet thought Charlie Chaplin made a pretty decent song composer too, making Track 3 on Memories Of You Vol. 2 a rendition of “Smile,” of which the lyrics tell the listener to cheer up and that there is always a bright tomorrow, just as long as they smile. Chaplin isn’t the only musician honored on Vol. 2. George Gershwin, Michel Legrend, Eubie Blake and Raymond Hubbell are too recognized, hand-picked by the Quartet to pay tribute to in the remainder of the album’s tracks. The cream of the crop is his warm interpretation of Billy Strayhorn’s “Lotus Blossom”. This set is perfect for late-night listening.

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Ken Peplowski Quartet – Memories Of You, Vol.1 (2006) [Japan 2014]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 42:42 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 1,74 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 868 MB

While well known amongst serious jazz fans in the U.S., the talented Ken Peplowski had been relatively unknown in Japan, until Tetsuo Hara of Venus Records introduced him with the smash hit “Memories of You” in 2006. It received not only the Gold Disc recognition, but was also awarded the Best Engineered Album in 2006 by Swing Journal. Its audiophile credentials were further enhanced when Jazz Critique Magazine chose it as the Third Best Sounding Jazz Disc of 2006.

Ken Peplowski has recorded approximately 50 CDs as a soloist, and close to 400 as a sideman – some of the artists he’s performed/recorded with include Charlie Byrd, Mel Torme, Rosemary Clooney, Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops, Hank Jones, Peggy Lee, Bill Charlap, Woody Allen, Benny Goodman, and Madonna. He travels at least half of every year, playing clubs, concert halls, colleges, and pops concerts. He has headlined the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, and Dizzy’s Club amongst many other venues. In 2014, Ken was the recipient of the Sarasota Jazz Festival’s “Satchmo” award, given to him for his “unique and enduring contribution to the living history of jazz”; in March, Ken was also given a “Highlights In Jazz” concert in NYC honoring him for “his matchless musical achievements”.

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