Easy to Remember

If clarinetist Ken Peplowski seems a little old-fashioned in the post-millennium, then so be it. It's a conscious choice that a number of young players have made since the swing and Dixieland revival from the '70s and onward, and the jazz world is richer for it. Easy to Remember, then, isn't the type of album to cause waves or create new movements. Instead, Peplowski, joined by guitarist Joe Cohn, pianist Ted Rosenthal, bassist Joe Fitzgerald, and drummer Jeff Brillinger put their personal stamp on small band swing. The music, while often familiar, is never predictable. There are fine versions of Cole Porter's "Everything I Love," Lerner-Loewe's "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," and a fine turn on Jobim's "Louisa." Two songs are given fine vocal treatments, the first by Bobby Short on the title cut, the latter — Paul McCartney's "Junk" — by Kim Liggett. The album ends with an energetic take on "High on You" with some intense tenor work by Peplowski. With a couple of exceptions (like "High on You"), Easy to Remember is a relaxed effort that evokes the nostalgia conjured up by the old-fashioned photos of New York City on the album's cover. Peplowski fans, and anyone who appreciates jazz the way they used to make it, will warmly embrace Easy to Remember. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi