T.C. Pfeiler

Prof. T.C. Pfeiler was born Ewald Pfeiler in Salzburg, Austria, the same city where classical
music-genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 and - forgotten! Later his work
was discovered for - big business!
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First contact with improvised music as a child through the ORFF - Institute of Salzburg.
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Pfeiler joined a local amateur cover-band, called "The Up To Date".
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First regular job as a motorcycle-salesman at "Zweirad Center Frey" in Salzburg.
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Pfeiler left the band "The Up To Date" and "Zweirad Center Frey" to work as a Hammond
Jazz-organist professionally. For a few months he played as a single.
In August 1978 he formed his first regular working-trio with Hammond organ, guitar and drums.
A hard project! During the late 1970´s the original Hammond organ was replaced more and
more by synthesizers and electric-pianos, but T.C. was on his way!
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Concerts and recording-sessions with top names of the international Jazz, Funk and Blues-
scene, like Herb Ellis, Red Holloway, Jim Galloway, Spike Robinson, Frank Foster, Bill Elgart,
Ken Peplowski, Wild Bill Davis, Jack McDuff (four handed on a Hammond B3), Maceo Parker,
Peter O´Mara and most of the famous European musicians like Joe Nay, Carl Drewo, Harry
Sokal, Joris Dudli, Michael Honzak, Mario Gonzi, Peter Legat, Louie Austen among others.
Broadcasts, TV-shows, studio-work as a arranger, composer of movie scores and producer.
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Pfeiler met Jazz-organ pioneer Wild Bill Davis for the first time at the "Internationale Jazzwoche
Burghausen", a well known Jazz-Festival at the Bavarian countryside. Wild Bill Davis replaced
Hamp´s long time pianist / organist / arranger & composer Milt Buckner who passed away on
July 27, 1977. Wild Bill Davis used Pfeiler´s early Hammond organ, a model C3 console for the
Burghausen concert date. It was the beginning of a great friendship between the legendary
Jazz-organ pioneer and the very young Jazz-organ newcomer from Austria.
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T.C. Pfeiler studied in Salzburg, Austria and in Munich, Germany, but friend and mentor,
Jazz-organ pioneer Wild Bill Davis (Nov. 26, 1918 - Aug. 17, 1995) was
his most important teacher. T.C. Pfeiler was his only regular private student ever.
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Europe tour with Lionel Hampton´s Bigband "Giants of Jazz" and Wild Bill Davis for Hammond.
After a few days, Hamp and the other musicians called him "T.C." ("The Console" = Hammond
console organ).
Stars of the 1980 Hampton Bigband: Joe Newman, Cat Anderson and Wallace Davenport on
trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone and sax legends Arnette Cleophus Cobb and Illinois Jacquet
as special guests. Playing sessions with the old giants was "premium school" for T.C. Pfeiler in
his early years as a Jazz-organist.
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School concerts in Austria with drummer Silvester "Jakschi" Schroeger as leader.

Eventually, the Austrian Gov. of Justice and Finance told Pfeiler in 1984 that he would have
to register the "T.C." in his passport, social security card etc. as a regular artist's name.
"T.C. Pfeiler & Hammond B3" became a international known trademark for high quality Jazz-organ
music. Today, T.C. Pfeiler is known as Austria´s first international Hammond Jazz-organist.
Soon he was called "Hammond Guru" by publishers of music magazines.
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Wild Bill Davis and T.C. Pfeiler did a fantastic live recording-session on two Hammond B3
organs! The material was released partially on the LP "Wild Bill Davis / T.C. Pfeiler - 70th / 30th
Anniversary Live Concert". The complete recording-session is coming soon on double-CD.
Never before and after this date Wild Bill Davis recorded with other organists.
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T.C. Pfeiler met Miss Ulrike Muehlbachler for the first time. It was the start of long and outstanding
relationship.
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Beside his regular work as a Jazz-organist, T.C. Pfeiler worked as a director of recording / producer
& moderator for the Jazz-departement of the Austrian Broadcast Company ORF.
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Miss Ulrike Muehlbachler & T.C. Pfeiler moved from Salzburg to Herzogenburg, Lower Austria and in
Oktober 1994 to Maria Lanzendorf, Lower Austria, a small town close to Vienna, Austria.
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"T.C. Pfeiler´s Jazzid Funk" was born as a "band of bandleaders" in Vienna, Austria:
T.C. Pfeiler - Hammond B3 organ, Peter Legat - g, Harry Sokal - ts & ss, Tommy Boeroecz - dr, &
Stephan Maass - perc.
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Miss Ulrike Muehlbachler & T.C. Pfeiler moved back to Fuerstenbrunn, a small town close to the city
of Salzburg, Austria. Tonewheel Records Studio Lounge1 was established.
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T.C. Pfeiler´s very successful Hammond B3 Lounge Project was established. T.C.´s long time partner
and producer / promoter, Miss Ulrike Muehlbachler is featured on drums.
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Miss Ulrike Muehlbachler & T.C. Pfeiler moved Tonewheel Records Studio Lounge temporary to
Hohenbrunn, Bavaria, a small town close to Munich, Germany: New name: Tonewheel Records
Studio Lounge2.
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T.C. Pfeiler´s 50th Birthday.
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35 years on stage, 30 years as Austria´s first international known Hammond Jazz-organist.
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T.C. Pfeiler was honored by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture with the
title Professor honoris causa for his work as a leading Hammond Jazz organist since three decades
and for the high output of more than 2.000 compositions.
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Miss Ulrike Muehlbachler & T.C. Pfeiler closed the doors of Tonewheel Records Studio Lounge2 in
Hohenbrunn and moved back to Salzburg, Austria.
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After testing the prototype of Hammond´s new super-lightweight stage organ Sk2, T.C. Pfeiler signed a
endorser-contract with Hammond-Suzuki Europe B.V.: the beginning of a new era.
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Start of a new CD-album series "Vintage Bar & Lounge Sound" with own compositions on our Label
Tonewheel Records www.tonewheelrecords.com
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Start of another new CD-album series "Midnight Blues & Ballads" with own compositions on our Label
Tonewheel Records www.tonewheelrecords.com
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T.C. Pfeiler composed (2019) more than 8.500 tunes
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On the one hand, T.C. Pfeiler cultivates the tradition of Hammond Organ with Jazz and Blues, and on
the other hand, he embraces the modern. There are Blues and Mainstream-Jazz oriented regular working
trios and quartets, experimental duos and trios with organ and drums or with organ, sax and drums and
T.C. Pfeiler´s outstanding project "Jazzid Funk".
Every T.C. Pfeiler project sounds great: for example, listen to T.C.´s original compositions on " Out Of Space "!
When he plays his own compositions he sounds completely unstrained and very different from other Jazz-organists.
As a creative, restless working musician, composer and messenger he created his very own language in music!
To learn more about the Hammond organ as a Jazz-instrument click on: The Hammond Jazz-organ story.

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