Noir Blue, Capri ***

Mainstream clarinettist and tenor saxophonist Ken Peplowski doesn't record as much as he used to, but he's consistently capable performer within the idiom who is not afraid to move occasionally outside his natural habitat. His latest album, with a skilled Shelley Berg-Jay Leonhart-Joe La Barbera rhythm section, proves the point, with the quartet nudged into some of its most abandoned playing by Peplowskis free-ish Little Dogs, a "blues" salute to Ornette Coleman. Yet their response to older material is equally persuasive.

The repertoire includes some relatively obscure quality Ducal pieces in Ellington's Bourbon Street Jingling Jollies, Strayhorns Noir Blueand, in particular, Multi-Colored Blue, Strayhorns distinctive response to the blues. All feature Peplowskis capable Benny Goodman- inspired clarinet, while half the album showcases the light-toned charm of his tenor. See caprirecords.com