Christof Sänger Trio & Ken Peplowski

A wonderful gift for jazz fans has arrived from Venus Records! Nobody argues that Bill Charlap is one of the most preeminent jazz pianists of his generation. His encyclopedic knowledge of the American Songbook is second to none, and his beautiful touch, amazing skills and imagination make it a pleasure to listen to him at all times. Ken Peplowski, on the other hand, is without a doubt one of the best clarinet and tenor sax players in the swing tradition. Each of them had recorded a number of albums for Venus Records of Japan separately - Charlap with his great New York Trio (with Jay Leonhart and Bill Stewart) and Peplowski with his own quartet and the Eddie Higgins Quintet. Now, wouldn't it be nice to put them together in a studio and make an album? Yes, it would, and they actually did it…

Eddie Higgins started his professional career in Chicago, Illinois, while studying at the Northwestern University School of Music. An elegant and sophisticated pianist, his encyclopedic harmonic approach and wide range of his repertory made him one of the most distinctive jazz pianists to come out of Chicago, gaining the respect of local and visiting musicians for his notable mastery of the instrument. Higgins also had the unusual ability to sound equally persuasive in a broad span of music, whether he was playing traditional swing, exciting bebop or reflexive ballads, providing the tone and stylistic flavor of each styles, as both a soloist and as accompanist…

Ken Peplowski is among the top clarinetists and tenor saxophonists of his generation. After a long, fruitful period recording as a leader for Concord, Peplowski started getting a number of offers to record for overseas labels. He alternates between the two instruments during these 2006 sessions, well accompanied by pianist Ted Rosenthal, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi (long Marian McPartland's bassist of choice), and drummer Jeff Brillinger, all veterans like the leader. Peplowski's lush tenor in the first interpretation of "Memories of You" recalls Ben Webster with his soft, breathy vibrato and lyrical style. He also caresses Roland Kirk's infrequently heard ballad "Bright Moments" and renders an elegant "Dream Dancing" as well…

Just like most musicians, when the dreaded Covid, along with the accompanying lockdown, hit in 2020, that was it as far as work was concerned. Like some very dark cosmic joke, I not only had a bad case of Covid in March of 2020, but my beloved dog Honeypie had to be put to sleep in April of 2021. In June of that year I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma."

Just like most musicians, when the dreaded Covid, along with the accompanying lockdown, hit in 2020, that was it as far as work was concerned. Like some very dark cosmic joke, I not only had a bad case of Covid in March of 2020, but my beloved dog Honeypie had to be put to sleep in April of 2021. In June of that year I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma."

Record dates made by American jazz musicians for the Japanese jazz market are often a bit different in their approach. These 2006 sessions, recorded by Ken Peplowski over two days with pianist Ted Rosenthal, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and drummer Jeff Brillinger, are unusual in that ten standards (all ballads) are featured, though with the leader playing one version on tenor sax, then immediately following it with another on clarinet. The players are capable enough in varying the approach to each tune with the different instrumentation, with Peplowski's smoky tenor and lyrical clarinet satisfying the listener each time. But one would bet that most listeners would rather have this two-CD set programmed with one disc devoted to each instrument, rather than hearing each song twice in a row…