Press archive
What was written and broadcast about Harry Pepl: reviews, portraits, interviews and obituaries, with summary and source. The originals are protected by copyright and kept in the archive; we provide them to researchers and the press on request.
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12 December 2005 · Obituary · DE
NÖN Niederösterreichische Nachrichten (p. 38, Triestingtal): „Tiefe Trauer um Harry“
Obituary in the Triesting valley edition on the day of the funeral: Pepl shaped Austrian jazz nationally and internationally like hardly anyone else and created a jazz idiom that can be called European. It mentions Benny Goodman, Dave Holland, Dino Saluzzi, Dave Liebman and Mino Cinelu, instant and real-time composing, and the lying in state, requiem and burial in Hernstein; the paper wrongly gives his age as 61.
He shaped and influenced Austrian jazz, nationally and internationally, like hardly anyone else.
Harry Pepl shaped a jazz idiom which, in its uncompromising direction and its phrasing in waves over a steady pulse, can be called European.
The only thing essential for the synthesis of the temporal and the timeless to succeed is the fulfilled moment!
On Real-time Composing, quoted in the obituary in the NÖN, the regional weekly of Lower Austria, December 2005
Harry Pepl
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7 December 2005 · Obituary · DE
Salzburger Nachrichten (p. 14, culture): „Gestorben: Harry Pepl“ (Rubrik „Gestorben“)
Obituary in the “Gestorben” (deaths) column: Pepl had long been regarded as one of the most independent and creative guitarists on the European jazz scene. It mentions the Zwio with Werner Pirchner, projects with Benny Goodman, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland and Dave Liebman, and real-time composing in the tradition of the Second Viennese School.
he had long been regarded as one of the most independent and creative guitarists on the European jazz scene
In the “Zwio” with the composer and vibraphonist Werner Pirchner he disregarded musical conventions from the 1970s on and played originally and slyly with clichés of homeland.
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December 2005 · Obituary
Intervals, Newsletter von David Liebman (Website): „Passings: Harry Pepl“, Intervals Volume 14, Nr. 1
Dave Liebman
Obituary by the American saxophonist Dave Liebman in the “Passings” section of his newsletter “Intervals”, published on his website upbeat.com/lieb (later daveliebman.com) a few weeks after Pepl’s death. Liebman calls Pepl a “groundbreaking guitarist” with whom he recorded several times and recalls their first recording together with the drummer Wolfgang Reisinger: from his guitar, via the computer, Pepl played a Bösendorfer grand piano (Bösendorfer is the Viennese piano maker) whose keys were moving by themselves. He is referring to “Schönberg Improvations” (recorded in November 1989). His verdict: “This was in the 80’s-far ahead!!” In the same section he pays tribute to Shirley Horn, Steve Marcus and Richard Pryor. The page survives only in the Internet Archive.
a groundbreaking guitarist that I had the pleasure to have recorded with several times … He had a Busendorfer piano playing music programmed from his computer-the keys were moving, the sound was a piano but it had come from the guitar. This was in the 80’s-far ahead!!
The American saxophonist Dave Liebman in December 2005, a few weeks after Pepl’s death, in the obituary section of “Intervals”, the newsletter on his website. He recalls recording “Schönberg Improvations” in 1989 with Wolfgang Reisinger: Pepl played a Bösendorfer computer grand piano (Bösendorfer is the Viennese piano maker) from his MIDI guitar, its keys moving by themselves (Liebman spells it “Busendorfer”)
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24 July 2002 · Portrait · DE
Falter (p. 55, culture): „Leiwand oder ned leiwand“ (Doppelporträt Muthspiel & Muthspiel und Jazzzwio)
Klaus Taschwer
Double portrait ahead of the premiere of the programme “Muthspiel & Muthspiel play Pepl/Pirchner” at the Glatt & Verkehrt festival. Wolfgang Muthspiel, who studied guitar with Pepl in Graz, remembers lessons “like an extended concert” and Pepl’s laconic verdict, either “leiwand” (Viennese for great) or “net leiwand”; for Christian Muthspiel the Jazzzwio came “like a liberation”.
Pepl was one of the most interesting guitarists in jazz. Great musicians like Dave Liebman or Jack DeJohnette say so too.
The guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, once Pepl’s student in Graz; the title of the Falter article, “Leiwand oder ned leiwand”, is Viennese for “great or not great”
Wolfgang Muthspiel
Pepl and Pirchner showed us that you can make exactly the music you want to make.
The trombonist and composer Christian Muthspiel on the Jazzzwio as a model for his generation; the title of the Falter article, “Leiwand oder ned leiwand”, is Viennese for “great or not great”
Christian Muthspiel
listening again now, I noticed once more how magnificently Pepl and Pirchner played. That was improvisation in the best sense.
Wolfgang Muthspiel
He played something to me, I had to play along, and every few bars he commented on how it was going. In his words that was, laconically, either ‘leiwand’ or ‘net leiwand’ [Viennese for ‘great’ or ‘not great’].
Wolfgang Muthspiel
The time I studied with Pepl was very formative. The lessons with him at the conservatory were like an extended concert.
Wolfgang Muthspiel