Interview: Musical Director Ken Peplowski and THE REAL SINATRA SONGBOOK at NJPAC on Monday 11/9

New Jersey Performing Arts Center will present The Real Sinatra Songbook on Monday, November 9th at 7:30 pm in their Victoria Theatre. This performance, part of NJPAC's Sinatra Centennial Series, will feature songs that would not even be in the American Songbook without the talents of Frank Sinatra. They are pieces that were inspired, commissioned and composed by "Old Blue Eyes." The stellar vocalists for the evening include Tom Wopat, Sue Raney and Kevin Mahogany under the musical direction of Ken Peplowski. The evening promises to be a musical delight and a true tribute to Sinatra's talents. Broadwayworld.com had the opportunity to interview Ken Peplowski about his career and the upcoming production.

Ken Peplowski has recorded approximately fifty CDs as a soloist, and close to 400 as a sideman. As a renowned clarinet and saxophone player, some of the artists he's performed recorded with include Charlie Byrd, Mel Torme, Rosemary Clooney, Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops, Hank Jones, Peggy Lee, Bill Charlap, Woody Allen, Benny Goodman, and Madonna. In 2014, Ken was the recipient of the Sarasota Jazz Festival's "Satchmo" award, given to him for his "unique and enduring contribution to the living history of jazz." In March, Ken was also the guest of honor at a "Highlights In Jazz" concert in NYC saluting him for "his matchless musical achievements."

Peplowski grew up in Garfield, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. He said, "I loved music from a very early age." He played clarinet in a Polka band with his brother when he was only 11 years old and one of his first jobs was at a local library. "Performing at an early age and pleasing an audience gave me the incentive to do it for a living." The band continued to play at weddings and other local events when he was a teen. Peplowski is a fan of many musical genres that include jazz, Big Band and The Beatles.

Peplowski attended Cleveland State to study classical clarinet and left to play with the Tommy Dorsey band under the direction of Buddy Morrow as lead alto, a feature spot for a clarinet player. Peplowski commented, "Buddy Morrow was a real mentor to me. After touring with the band for two and a half years, Buddy suggested I move to New York City." Peplowski moved to the city in 1981 and still resides there. He said it was both scary and exciting at the same time. He had enough money to last him for six months. Luckily, he made plenty of connections and started playing clarinet and saxophone for rehearsal bands right away.

Frank Sinatra has always been an artistic inspiration for Peplowski. He said that Sinatra had great "breath control" when he vocalized. Peplowski learned the technique by observing him. He saw Sinatra's 75th Birthday performance at the Meadowlands and met Sinatra in 1985 City at Benny Goodman's final concert performance that also featured Ella Fitzgerald.

We asked Peplowski about the The Real Sinatra Songbook at NJPAC. "NJPAC is a great venue in the metro area and the people there are very nice to work with. This performance is a little different as we are focusing on songs that were written for him and by him. Sinatra put his mark on songs which is a testament to his talents." Peplowski pointed out that the audience will enjoy songs that they know like "Come Fly With Me" and "Nancy With the Laughing Face" by Phil Silvers. Peplowski's own Sinatra favorite is "Empty Tables."

We asked Peplowski about his busy schedule and what is in store for the future. He looks forward to performing at Dizzy's Club in New York City the last week in January. For more information on Ken Peplowski, visit his web site at www.kenpeplowski.com.

Tickets for this show are available at htttp://www.ticketmaster.com/event/00004E920D134C77

NJPAC is located at 1 Center Street, Newark, New Jersey, a short walk from the Newark Penn Station stop by Newark-bound PATH Train or Amtrak. Detailed instructions on approaching the venue by car, by bus, by foot or by rail: http://www.njpac.org/plan-your-visit.

For additional information and up-to-the-minute updates, call 1-888-GO-NJPAC (888-466-5722)

Photo: Courtesy of Ken Peplowski

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