drums
Jack DeJohnette
1942 – † 2025
Third man of the ECM (the renowned European jazz label) trio (ECM 1237, 1983); in September 1980 he spontaneously joined Jazzzwio in Saalfelden and played in Michel Portal's group.

American drummer and pianist (1942 to 2025). Pepl described him as the musician with whom he found an understanding at the very first or second rhythmic impulse. For Harry Pepl's 75th birthday in 2020 he sent a written statement for Ö1 through his management.
More about Jack DeJohnette: jackdejohnette.com
Voices
On Harry Pepl
He was an amazing guitarist, pianist and composer. His harmonic, rhythmic and sound concepts were very unique!
I had the great pleasure to have recorded and performed with Harry.
Harry made a great contribution to music. His legacy will continue to live on.
Harry made a great contribution to experimental music. His legacy will continue to live on.
Harry Pepl on Jack DeJohnette
This is the first time that we are really looking over the wall
In 1983, on the Jazzzwio’s ECM album with Jack DeJohnette, the American drummer known from Miles Davis’s and Keith Jarrett’s bands
I played one note, then the second, and by the third at the latest Jack knew exactly where I was, and we were together.
On a festival concert with Jack DeJohnette without any joint preparation, in conversation in 1998
That was simply the Jazzzwio plus somebody else. With Dave Holland, though, it would have been completely different music.
On the 1983 album for ECM, the renowned European jazz label, on which the Jazzzwio duo played with the American drummer Jack DeJohnette; with a bassist such as Dave Holland, Pepl says, there would have been more room for soloing
understood immediately at the first or second rhythmic impulse, so that everyone knew where the other was
On playing with the American drummer Jack DeJohnette; looking back in 2005
Recordings together
Listen and watch
Werner Pirchner, Harry Pepl, Jack DeJohnette: Air, Love And Vitamins (Werner Pirchner, Harry Pepl, Jack DeJohnette, 1983)
“Air, Love And Vitamins” (Harry Pepl), track 2 of the ECM album by Werner Pirchner, the Austrian composer and vibraphonist, Harry Pepl and Jack DeJohnette (1983, digitally remastered and reissued digitally in 2019), 7:19. The version with Jack DeJohnette, prepared in 2020 for the Ö1 radio programme.
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Harry Pepl and Jack DeJohnette, duo at the Raab Jazz Festival
Harry Pepl (guitar, MIDI guitar synthesiser) and Jack DeJohnette (drums). Live recording from the hall, without a direct signal, processed as well as possible.
In the chronology
- September 1980 Jack DeJohnette sits in spontaneously at Saalfelden
- June 1982 ECM recording with Jack DeJohnette
- 1 April 1983 ECM album with “Air, Love & Vitamins”
- 7 March 1986 Michel Portal at the Banlieues Bleues festival in Montreuil
- 10 March 1986 Michel Portal Unit: concert recording by Radio France
- May 1987 Concerts and sessions in France
- 30 May 1987 Michel Portal: “Men's Land” in Amiens
- 22 May 1994 Duo with Jack DeJohnette at the Innviertel jazz festival
- 26 October 2025 Death of Jack DeJohnette
In the press
- 9 March 1985 Cash Box (US-Musikfachzeitschrift mit eigenen Charts): Jazz: „On Jazz“, Abschnitt „Label Hopping“ (Vol. 48, Nr. 39)
- 16 March 1985 Billboard (US-Musikfachzeitschrift mit den Branchen-Charts, gegründet 1894): Album Reviews, Jazz-Fusion: „Werner Pirchner / Harry Pepl / Jack DeJohnette“ (Recommended)
- April 1985 DownBeat (US-Jazzzeitschrift, gegründet 1934): „European ECM“: Werner Pirchner, Harry Pepl, Jack DeJohnette (ganzseitige Vorstellung, Heft April 1985, Vol. 52, Nr. 4)
- 25 February 1986 APA-Basisdienst (Austria Presse Agentur), Rubrik APA JAZZ NEWS: „Harry Pepls Sessions in Frankreich“
- 7 March 1986 Banlieues Bleues, Festivalarchiv (online): Konzert des 3. Festivals: Portal, DeJohnette, Cinelu, Jenny-Clark, Pepl
- 10 March 1986 Radio France, „Concert de jazz“ (Mitschnitt im INA-Katalog): „Concert du Michel Portal Unit“
- 7 April 1987 APA-Basisdienst (Austria Presse Agentur), Rubrik APA JAZZ NEWS: „Jazz-Splitter“
- 30 May 1987 Radio France, „Le temps du jazz“ (Mitschnitt im INA-Katalog): „Concert du Michel Portal Unit 87“
- 16 June 1987 APA-Basisdienst (Austria Presse Agentur), Rubrik APA JAZZ NEWS: „Erfolg für Harry Pepl in Frankreich“
- 17 August 1988 Le Monde: „Michel Portal: « Men's land »“
- 24 May 1994 Kronen Zeitung (Seite 17): Kurzkritik vom Innviertler Jazzfestival in Raab
- 24 May 1994 Der Standard (Seite 10): „Zwischen Räucherstäbchen-Blues und festlicher Marching-Band-Tarnung“
- 26 May 1994 Salzburger Nachrichten (Seite 8): „Neue Symptome einer Krankheit“ (Das Jazzfestival in Raab ist als „Innviertler Jazzfestival“ wiederauferstanden)
- 8 June 1994 Hudobný život (slowakische Musikzeitschrift): Nr. 11: „Infojazz č. 2/94“, Abschnitt „Súťaže, dielne a festivaly v zahraničí“ (Wettbewerbe, Workshops und Festivals im Ausland)
- 26 July 1994 Kronen Zeitung (Seite 18): „Musikalischer Grenzgänger lehrt an ‚NÖ Jazzakademie‘“
- 24 December 1996 Wiener Zeitung (Seite 4, Rubrik „Jazzignal“): „Swinging Christmas!“
- 10 February 1998 Wiener Zeitung (Seite 4, Rubrik „Jazzignal“): „Echtzeitkompositionen“
- 15 August 2001 Falter (Seite 49, Kultur): „Leben nach dem Tod“ (Werner Pirchner, 1940 bis 2001)
- 24 July 2002 Falter (Seite 55, Kultur): „Leiwand oder ned leiwand“ (Doppelporträt Muthspiel & Muthspiel und Jazzzwio)
- 6 December 2005 OÖ Nachrichten (Seite 22, Kultur): „Jazzer Harry Pepl gestorben“ (Meldung unter „Harry bleibt vorne“)
- 6 December 2005 Kurier (Seite 31, Kultur): „Harry Pepl gestorben“ (Rubrik „Überblick“)
- 6 December 2005 Kleine Zeitung (Seite 55, Kultur): „Auch die 2. Hälfte vom ‚Jazzzwio‘ ist nicht mehr“
- 7 December 2005 JazzEcho (Universal Classics, Online): „Ade Harry Pepl!“
- 7 December 2005 Süddeutsche Zeitung (Seite 17, Feuilleton): „Verstummte Saiten“ (Zum Tod des Wiener Jazzgitarristen Harry Pepl)
- 7 December 2005 Salzburger Nachrichten (Seite 14, Kultur): „Gestorben: Harry Pepl“ (Rubrik „Gestorben“)
- 20 December 2011 ECM Reviews (Between Sound and Space: ECM Records and Beyond): „Pirchner/Pepl/DeJohnette: s/t (ECM 1237)“
- 13 November 2012 ECM Reviews (Between Sound and Space: ECM Records and Beyond): „A second look: Pirchner/Pepl/DeJohnette (ECM 1237)“
- 14 January 2019 France Musique (Radio France), „Les Grands entretiens“: „Michel Portal (1/5): Je me cachais la nuit pour écouter de la musique“
- 27 October 2025 APA-Basisdienst (Austria Presse Agentur, APA0208): „US-Jazz-Legende Jack DeJohnette 83-jährig gestorben“
- 28 October 2025 Salzburger Nachrichten (Seite 9, Kultur): „Er gab im Jazz die Richtung vor: Jack DeJohnette ist tot“

