Customer Reviews

International Allstars Play Benny V 1

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This recording shows Peplowski and Alden at their very best, kicked along at a furious pace by super drummer Joe Ascione during a live concert in Germany. Peps floats and jabs on Ascione's incredible beat while Howard Alden defines swing guitar excitement. A superb album. Not really Better than Benny but creative new masters of Benny's idiom. Buy it.

Ken Peplowski & Friends: "The International Allstars Play Benny Goodman, Volume 1" Nagel Heyer #CD-025

This is a single concert culled from Ken Peplowski's 1995 European Benny Goodman Tribute tour. He assembled a truly international group: himself, Howard Alden, Joe Ascione and Mark Shane from the United States, Swedish vibraphonist Lars Erstrand and British bassist Len Skeat. The idea was not to try to duplicate original solos, but just stretch out and have a good time living the Goodman influence. The result is so consistently satisfying that the entire concert was issued on two discs (Volumes One and Two), rather than having to edit down to one.
Recorded live in Hamburg, October 14, 1995, "You" is a romp featuring Peplowski's clarinet with rhythm section. "Didn't I Remember" a moderate swing, again features clarinet with rhythm. "Stardust" is a guitar showcase for Howard Alden. Peplowski blows a mellow tenor sax on "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me" with solos all around.
"Limehouse Blues", taken at a brisk clip, brings out the best of Peplowski's clarinet, with Alden, Shane and Erstrand folowing suit. Drummer Joe Ascione gets in a blast of his own before returning to Pep's clarinet riding out the final choruses.
"Our Love is Here to Stay" shows Lars Erstrand's ballad chops with nice two-fisted comping from Shane, followed by his own solos and nice turns by Alden.
The surprise appearance of Allan Vache and Finnish clarinetist Antti Sarpila make this great concert even greater. Their medley begins with a lovely "Memories of You" featuring Sarpila. "Poor Butterfly" brings out Allan Vache's unique sound, with Peplowski smoothing out the ballad set with "Moonglow".
A rousing "After You've Gone" brings the audience (and the listener) to its feet with all three clarinets in fine form, seven minutes of non-stop swing that would have made Benny Goodman proud.
Either of these discs could stand on its own merits, but they work best when played back-to-back. Highly recommended small group swing, this set truly carries on the Goodman tradition without imitating the original versions. The best tributes often are not mere copies, but take the essence of the original to another lever. this set rates as one of the best.
International Allstars Play Benny Goodman 2
Note: Vache and Sarpilla were in town to make their own record,and Allan Vache has since released his own Benny Goodman tribute CD.
Summit Meeting
With Benny in Mind

Even though Ken Peplowski is great on both the clarinet and the tenor sax, I've always thought the former is his best instrument. This CD of a live German concert backs that contention. Peplowski and his friend, guitarist Howard Alden, combine with Lars Erstrand on vibes, Joe Ascione on drums and pianist Mark Shane to present 10 splendid tunes that another clarinetist, Benny Goodman, helped to popularize decades ago. But this isn't a copy of the Goodman arrangements. Instead, it's today's version of yesterday's standards. When clarinetists Allan Vache and Antti Sarpila join Peplowski in a ballad medley of "Memories of You," "Poor Butterfly" and "Moonglow," the result is sensational. And when the three combine for a seven-minute romp on "After You've Gone" for the finale, you'll realize a whole new meaning for "sensational." This may well be Peplowski's best CD to date -- unless, of course, Nagel-Heyer's second volume of this concert material, just released, raises the bar even higher.