Ken Peplowski, Who Helped Revive the Jazz Clarinet, Dies at 66

Ken Peplowski, the clarinetist and tenor saxophonist celebrated for a warm, woody tone and for bridging the Benny Goodman swing era and the genre-blurring present, died on Feb. 2. He was 66. His brother, Ted Peplowski, said the apparent cause was a heart attack, pending an autopsy; Mr.

Peplowski had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2021. Mr. Peplowski died at sea in the Gulf of Mexico after a morning performance on the Jazz Cruise, a floating festival he had regularly performed on and hosted since its founding in 2001. He missed an afternoon set and was later found in his cabin.

Over a prolific career he released more than 60 albums and was featured on film soundtracks including Woody Allen’s "Sweet and Lowdown" (1999). Known for his fluency on a notoriously finicky instrument, he drew praise as "arguably the greatest living jazz clarinetist" from the British trombonist and critic Russell Davies.

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