Ken Peplowski - Unheard Bird

Arbors Jazz, 2024

When Charlie Parker was preparing to record his Charlie Parker With Strings (Mercury, 1950) sessions, he came in with more music arranged than he could record. Clarinetist and leader Ken Peplowski records in his liner notes that “…most of these arrangements would have served as a significantly more ambitious follow-up to the classic string recordings the listener already knows.”

It is a treat that Peplowski undertook this project to provide body to these arrangements with the aid of trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Willie Jones III plus a string section reflecting what Parker used. This release consists of a generous 14 selections (with one, “Summertime” actually recorded for the original With Strings, Peplowski wanted to include it in the collection).

The arrangements lend a 1950s-period sound to the recording which adds to the charm and novelty of the recording. Gerry Mulligan, George Russell, Ed Herzog, John Lewis, John Bartee, Mercer Ellington, Jim Carroll, Neal Hefti, and Mark Lopeman (who was not part of the original arrangers, but who Peplowski asked to arrange “You Must Believe In Spring”) are among the arrangers contributing charts. The core quintet is given plenty of solo space among the sepia-toned arrangements.

Peplowski plays tenor saxophone (most notably on “Goldrush,” “I Cover The Waterfront,” and “You Go To My Head”) and clarinet. Stafford and Zaleski are featured on “Ezz-Thetic,” “Gone With The Wind,” and a stunning “Stardust” while Peplowski is given the spotlight for his humid playing on “Summertime” and “You Must Believe In Spring",” Lopeman’s modern arrangement melding well with the period charts.

This recording is a bitter-sweet reminder of what might have been and what is. It is a recording for which to be grateful.