Chronology
Life and work year by year. Every entry is documented; we welcome additions and corrections.
Filters active
1990s
-
7 February 1990
Presentation concert for “Schönberg Improvations”
Vienna
At the Wiener Konzerthaus, one of Vienna’s two great concert halls, Wolfgang Puschnig and Wolfgang Reisinger played live along with the self-playing grand piano; Pepl operated only the sustain pedal.
Concerts
-
14 July 1990
“What It Is” with Thomas Pernes at the Wiesen jazz festival
Wiesen
At the Wiesen jazz festival on Saturday, 14 July 1990, Pepl played in the “Special Project” of the composer Thomas Pernes with Wolfgang Puschnig and Wolfgang Reisinger. The Art Ensemble of Chicago, the Bill Frisell Group and the Michael Brecker Band were on the bill the same day. With “What It Is”, Pernes wanted to overcome the narrowness of styles and boundaries.
Concerts
-
4 August 1991
Opening concert of the Lower Austrian Jazz Academy with Jamaaladeen Tacuma
Zeillern
On Sunday, 4 August 1991, Pepl opened the Lower Austrian Jazz Academy in the courtyard of Zeillern Castle in a quartet with Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Alex Deutsch and Johannes Enders. Beforehand he told Der Standard, a Vienna daily, it might become „eine ganz freie Angelegenheit“ [“an entirely free affair”].
Concerts
-
November 1991
Closing concert of the ZeitgeNÖssischer Herbst
Lower Austria
The third concert series “ZeitgeNÖssischer Herbst” of the state of Lower Austria (20 September to 28 November 1991, around 11,000 visitors) ended with a highly successful concert by Pepl. Der Standard, a Vienna daily, counted the closing concert among the highlights.
Concerts
-
June 1992
Harry Pepl Quartet at the Knitting Factory
New York
In early June 1992, shortly before the recording of “N.Y.C. Impressure”, the quartet played at the Knitting Factory (New York music club for jazz and the avant-garde) in New York. The club's invitation gives 2 June, Nikolaus Kohler the day before the recording.
Concerts
-
7 June 1992
Harry Pepl Group at the Raab jazz festival
Raab, Upper Austria
On Whit Sunday, 7 June 1992, the Harry Pepl Group played its new programme at the jazz festival in Raab in the Innviertel, on the same evening as Wolfgang Puschnig’s “Alpine Aspects” and Ronnie Burrage’s band.
Concerts
-
17 July 1992 to 18 July 1992
Pori Jazz Festival with John Purcell’s Blue Brass Connection
Pori, Finland
At the 27th Pori Jazz Festival in Pori, Finland, one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe, Pepl plays in the band listed in the festival archive as “John Purcell´s Blue Brass Connection”: with the Upper Austrian trombonist Paul Zauner, whose Blue Brass Connection had been touring with US jazz musicians since 1985, and with John Purcell, Graham Haynes, Ron Burton, Kenny Davis and Ronnie Burrage. The archive lists three performances: on Friday, 17 July 1992, on the main stage at Kirjurinluoto, in a programme starting at 5 pm that the archive also lists for Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band, in the evening at the Village Gate, and on Saturday, 18 July 1992, at the Nuorisokeskus, the youth centre. A few months later Purcell, Davis, Burrage, Zauner and Pepl formed the core of Abstract Truth.
Concerts
-
12 August 1992
Faculty concert of the Lower Austrian Jazz Academy
Zeillern
At the Lower Austrian Jazz Academy at Zeillern Castle (9 to 15 August 1992), Pepl played in the faculty concert (“Jazzakademie All Stars”) on Wednesday, 12 August, with Claus Stötter, Bobby Dodge, Martin Fuss, Joris Dudli and Ines Reiger. The Kurier, a Vienna daily, called him the „Gitarrenguru der österreichischen Jazzszene“ [“guitar guru of the Austrian jazz scene”].
Concerts
-
31 October 1992
Frankfurt-Wien-Connection at the Deutsches Jazzfestival Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main
At the 24th Deutsches Jazzfestival Frankfurt (Germany’s oldest jazz festival, organised by the public broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk) the Frankfurt-Wien-Connection plays the second concert in the Bockenheimer Depot on Saturday, 31 October 1992: Harry Pepl (guitar), Stefan Lottermann (trombone), Michael Riessler (bass clarinet), Claus Stötter (trumpet), Bob Harrison (bass) and François Laizeau (drums), with compositions by Pepl. The hr produces the recording itself and, according to its archive, broadcasts it on hr2 the same day. Details from the database extract of the hr media archive (case AS_2026_0421, Tuesday, 20 October 2026); the copy of the recording remains in the family archive.
Concerts
-
May 1993
Air Mail re-forms
Vienna
In May 1993 Air Mail performed again after a long break, at the Vienna jazz venue Reigen with Wolfgang Puschnig, Harry Pepl, Wolfgang Reisinger and Palle Danielsson. Der Standard, a Vienna daily, wrote that almost everything this country had to offer in jazz of international quality was gathered there. The concert at the Raab jazz festival followed at the end of May.
Concerts
-
5 May 1993
Concert in the former synagogue in St. Pölten
St. Pölten
On Wednesday, 5 May 1993, Pepl played in the former synagogue in St. Pölten with John Purcell, Paul Zauner, Jeff Andrews and Ronnie Burrage, a line-up from the circle of Abstract Truth.
Concerts
-
28 May 1993 to 30 May 1993
Last Air Mail concert in Raab
Raab, Upper Austria
At the Whitsun jazz festival in Raab (Friday, 28, to Whit Sunday, 30 May 1993), later known as INNtöne (jazz festival in Diersbach, Upper Austria), Air Mail played for the last time, with Jean-Paul Celea on bass (Palle Danielsson had been announced) and the piece “Dinozzo”. Shortly before, the band had re-formed after a long break at the Reigen in Vienna. A professional recording exists.
Concerts
-
23 September 1993 to 25 September 1993
“Die Innviertler Seele” at the Festival der Regionen
Aspach, Obernberg, Zell an der Pram
For Paul Zauner’s project “Die Innviertler Seele” at the Festival der Regionen (Upper Austrian arts festival), George Lewis, Gene Jackson, Harry Pepl and Christian Radovan met Innviertel zither music and a traditional brass band: on Thursday, 23 September 1993, at the Gasthof Zwink in Aspach, on the 24th in the multi-purpose hall in Obernberg and on the 25th at Zell an der Pram Castle.
Concerts
-
1994
Concerts with Labarrière, Jackson and Mitterer
Kyiv, Graz, Vienna
Harry Pepl plays one of his last concert series with Hélène Labarrière (double bass), Gene Jackson (drums) and Wolfgang Mitterer (synthesizer), among other places in Kyiv (Ukraine), there according to Mitterer also with Paul Zauner, probably in Slovakia, in Graz with Wolfgang Puschnig and at Porgy & Bess (Vienna jazz club) in Vienna. No recording has survived in the family archive; of the Graz concert at the Graz Meeting, the Austrian Mediathek holds a recording that can only be heard on site.
Concerts
-
18 April 1994
“Porträt Harry Pepl” at the Porgy & Bess
Vienna
In the portrait series of the Vienna jazz club Porgy & Bess, Pepl was presented on several evenings in mid-April 1994. On Monday, 18 April, he played solo in the first part, then with Gene Jackson (drums) and Wolfgang Mitterer (keyboards).
Concerts
-
20 April 1994
Harry Pepl Quartet at the Graz Meeting “Strings”
Graz
At the third Graz Meeting (jazz festival of the Graz music academy and gamsbART, dedicated to string instruments in 1994), the Harry Pepl Quartet with Wolfgang Puschnig played at the Orpheum, a concert venue in Graz, on Wednesday, 20 April 1994, on the same evening as Derek Bailey, Dieter Glawischnig’s Cercle and the double bass duo Ewald Oberleitner and Wayne Darling. The Österreichische Mediathek (Austrian Mediathek), Austria’s archive of sound and video recordings at the Technisches Museum Wien, holds an unreleased recording of the concert and the broadcast “Aus dem Konzertsaal: Graz Meeting 1994” by Ö1, ORF’s cultural radio station, featuring the quartet, both on cassette and available only on site; the catalogue does not name the other musicians.
Concerts
-
22 May 1994
Duo with Jack DeJohnette at the Innviertel jazz festival
Raab, Upper Austria
On Whit Sunday, 22 May 1994, Pepl played a duo on guitar synthesizer with Jack DeJohnette, switching between piano and drums, in the Rothuberhalle in Raab. The Kronen Zeitung, Austria’s largest-circulation daily, Der Standard and the Salzburger Nachrichten singled out the duo. The Slovak music magazine “Hudobný život” also lists the duo in June 1994 among the festival’s performances, alongside the Brecker Brothers, the Dave Holland Quartet and David Murray.
Concerts
-
31 July 1994
Opening concert of the Lower Austrian Jazz Academy with the Harry Pepl Quartet
Zeillern
To open the sixth Lower Austrian Jazz Academy, the Harry Pepl Quartet played at Zeillern Castle on Sunday, 31 July 1994, at 9 pm, with Claus Stötter (trumpet) and Jojo Mayer (drums) among others. Pepl taught guitar there until 6 August.
Concerts
-
5 November 1994
With Harry Sokal and Friedrich Gulda at the Brucknerhaus Linz
Linz
On Saturday, 5 November 1994, after “A night with Friedrich Gulda”, “The Harry Sokal Quartet feat. Harry Pepl” played at 10 pm in the Brucknersaal of the Brucknerhaus Linz, with Friedrich Gulda as guest.
Concerts
-
12 November 1995
Abstract Truth at the Reigen in Vienna
Vienna
As part of Johannes Kunz’s Vienna “Jazz-Herbst”, Abstract Truth with Harry Pepl was announced for the Reigen on Sunday, 12 November 1995, together with the Archie Shepp Quartet (announced by APA, trend and Kronen Zeitung, Austria’s largest-circulation daily; no report of the concert is known, and Daniel Pepl has questioned the year). A concert by the band scheduled for Tuesday, 24 October, at the WIST in Graz had been cancelled.
Concerts
-
5 December 1997 to 6 December 1997
INNtöne Festival with Michel Portal
Zell an der Pram
According to Daniel Pepl, once he had withdrawn from the stage after 1994, there were no more planned concerts of his own. At the INNtöne festival weekend (Paul Zauner's festival of contemporary music) on Friday, 5, and Saturday, 6 December 1997, in the baroque hall of Zell an der Pram Castle, Upper Austria, he nevertheless took part in the changing line-ups; the previews had announced him by name. On the Friday, according to the OÖ Volksblatt, an Upper Austrian daily, he played “first on the piano, then on the drums”, together with the trumpeter Franz Hackl; on the Saturday he joined the group around Michel Portal and Stephen Kent, with Wolfgang Reisinger on drums and Steve Shehan on percussion. Whether he also played guitar remains open: in its preview the Wiener Zeitung, the Vienna daily founded in 1703, had written, in connection with his new CD on PAO Records: “Pepl is not playing guitar but piano”. The OÖ Volksblatt, by contrast, lists “piano, guitar” for the Saturday, and the OÖ Nachrichten, another Upper Austrian daily, wrote that “as a string player” he had created “fabulous special moments” with Portal. Toninho Horta and Alvin Batiste also played at the festival. It was his last concert appearance covered by reviews.
Concerts