Mainstreamer Ken Peplowski uses his warm tenor and clarinet sounds to both look back and forward on this rewarding session with Ehud Asherie/p, Martin Wind/b and Matt Wilson/dr. His romantic heart is revealed on clarinet during a gentle and quiet “I’ll Follow My Secret Heart” with Asherie’s soft piano, while his gentle bounce on “The Flaming Sword” is a lithely swinging sensation. He also displays some clever bop harmonies as he and the band take on Herbie Nichols’ “Enrapture” with delight and with Asherie’s stride, delivers a homey read on Fats Waller’s Willow Tree” along with John Lennon’s “Oh, My Love” supported by Wind that makes the modern sound timeless.
His tenor is Ben Webster breathy, and he uses it with serenity on “An Affair to Remember” and a nice muscular read of Peter Erskine’s “Twelve.” As with all things tenor, ballads are a must, and “Cheer Up Charlie” fills the room like an up-opened chimney. Gotta love this one!
Capri Records