Enrapture

Noted mostly for his clarinet playing on a discography of some 50 recordings, multireedman Ken Peplowski plays tenor sax on four of the 10 tunes on his new album, Enrapture. With his working group of a year or so—pianist Ehud Asherie, bassist Martin Wind and drummer Matt Wilson—Peplowski shows his stuff on a variety of songs. Except for Duke Ellington’s “The Flaming Sword” (a snappy samba) and a lively version of ex-Weather Report’s Peter Erskine’s “Twelve,” the tempos are relaxed. On the Lennon/Ono ballad “Oh, My Love,” Peplowski engages in a lovely duet with bassist Wind. The album’s eclectic flavor is highlighted by a wistful rendition of Bernard Herrmann’s “Vertigo Scene d’Amour,” with Peplowski’s evocative clarinet the perfect choice. He ruminates on tenor sax on the Barry Manilow/Johnny Mercer sweet lament “When October Goes.” Fats Waller’s atypical “Willow Tree” gives both Wind (playing arco) and Wilson a chance to shine. Pianist Asherie provides strong support throughout on this truly delightful album.