Home » Member Page

T.C. Pfeiler Prof.

Prof. T.C. Pfeiler - Austrias first international Hammond B3 Jazz-organist & composer of more than 10.000 pieces of music

About Me

Born: January 1, 1958

T.C. Pfeiler was born Ewald Pfeiler on Jan.1, 1958 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!

T.C. Pfeiler studied in Salzburg / Austria and in Munich / Germany but friend and mentor, Jazz-organ pioneer Wild Bill Davis (November 26, 1918 - August 17, 1995) was his most important teacher. T.C. Pfeiler was his only regular private student ever.

T.C. Pfeiler started out in his teenage years to play commercial dance music in April 1973 with a local amateur band named UP TO DATE “The Up To Date”. He left the group and also his regular day job as a motorcycle salesman in the late 1970s to work as a Hammond Jazz-organist professionally.

A hard project! During the late 1970s the original Hammond organ was replaced more and more by keyboards and electric pianos but T.C. was on his way.

He said: “I know, some great names give up now or fool around with this new toy keyboards. One day, they are back at the console. I believe in the original Hammond organ. It is and always will be a beautiful and strong Jazz solo instrument with timeless sound quality. And I am here to keep that thing alive!” He was so right and it was very important that he came to the scene in this dark years for the Hammond organ, long before the mighty console celebrated a glorious comeback through a handful of young Jazz organ lions in the early 1990s.

As T.C. Pfeiler says: quality is timeless!

On April 18, 1978 he met Jazz organ pioneer Wild Bill Davis for the first time at the Internationale Jazzwoche Burghausen in Germany, a well known Jazzfestival at the Bavaria countryside. In 1978 Wild Bill Davis replaced Hamps long time pianist/organist Milt Buckner who passed on July 27,1977. Wild Bills regular organ for the 1978 Lionel Hampton Europe tour was a terrible sounding Hammond B3000, a early B3 replica, sponsored by Hammond Germany. At the end of the tour the B3000 was ready for the junkyard! Wild Bill Davis was so happy to get T.C. Pfeilers early Hammond organ, 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.

During the first months T.C. Pfeiler worked as a single but soon, in August 1978 he formed his first regular working trio with organ, guitar and drums. Sometimes a saxophonist was added.

At the beginning of his career T.C. carried his Hammond organ in a roomy old hearse. (Jimmy Smith also used one when he startet out as a Jazz organist in the early 1950s). Many club owners and visitors had a problem with the black station wagon, specially when it was parked in front of a club. Soon T.C. switched to a van.

Countless club gigs and Jazz Festival dates in Europe and in the USA.

1980 Europe tour with the Lionel Hampton Bigband and Wild Bill Davis for Hammond. After a few days, Hamp and the other musicians called him “T.C.” (”The Console” = Hammond console organ), because of his strong affinity to the mighty Hammond console organs. Stars of the 1980 Hampton Bigband were Joe Newman, 'Cat' Anderson and Wallace Davenport on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone and sax legends Arnette Cleophus Cobb and Illinois Jacquet for some special concerts. Playing with the old giants was a great help for T.C. Pfeiler in his early years as a Jazz-organist.

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 artists name. “T.C. Pfeiler & Hammond B3” - a international trademark for high quality Jazz-organ music and soon T.C. Pfeiler was known as Austrias only international Hammond Jazz-organist. He was called a “Hammond Guru” by some music magazine publishers.

On November 26, 1987 Wild Bill Davis and T.C. Pfeiler recorded a fantastic Live - LP. They played at the same time on two separate Hammond B3 organs! Never before and after Wild Bill Davis did a recording session with a second organist. Over decades, many producers asked Wild Bill Davis for recording dates with a second organist,but always he just said no. The Wild Bill Davis / T.C. Pfeiler double organ recording session was the only exception. It was a present by the godfather of the Jazz-organ to his only student and a great honour for T.C. Pfeiler. T.C.s long time fellow musicians Rudi Renger on guitar and Michael Honzak on drums were the great sideman on this remarkeable date.

Concerts, recordings and sessions with countless 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 Mc Duff (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 arranger, composer, producer.

School concerts in Austria since the 1990s.

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. Pfeilers incredible quintet and trio “Jazzid Funk”.

April 1992: Miss Ulrike Muehlbachler & T.C. Pfeiler move from Salzburg to Herzogenburg / Lower Austria and in Oktober 1994 to Maria Lanzendorf / Lower Austria, a small town close to Vienna / Austria.

1997, “T.C. Pfeilers Jazzid Funk” was born: T.C. Pfeiler - Hammond B3 organ, Peter Legat (g), Harry Sokal (ts & ss), Tommy Boeroecz (dr) & Stephan Maass (perc)

August 1999: Miss Ulrike Muehlbachler & T.C. Pfeiler move back to the Salzburg area to Fuerstenbrunn, a small town close to the city of Salzburg. Tonewheel Records Studio Lounge1 was established.

2003: 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.

2005: Carpe Diem (Red Bull) became T.C. Pfeilers official sponsor and in 2006, Carpe Diem “Live Tunes”, a special road show with a portable band stand, special designed for T.C. Pfeilers different organ groups was established.

This outstanding co-operation between the worldwide well known Austrian soft drink manufacturer Carpe Diem / Red Bull and the Austrian Jazz-organist T.C. Pfeiler is unique!

In Nov. 2006, Miss Ulrike Muehlbachler & T.C. Pfeiler moved Tonewheel Records Studio Lounge1 to Hohenbrunn, Bavaria, a small town close to Munich / Germany = Tonewheel Records Studio Lounge2.

Jan.1, 2008: T.C. Pfeilers 50th Birthday,

March 2008: 35 years on stage.

April 10, 2008: T.C. Pfeiler was honored by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture with the title Professor honoris causa for his continue work as a leading Hammond Jazz organist since three decades plus the high output of more than 2.800 compositions.

August 2008: T.C. Pfeiler is active as Austrias first international Hammond Jazz organist since 30 years.

April 2009: Miss Ulrike Muehlbachler & T.C. Pfeiler close the doors of Tonewheel Records Studio Lounge2 in Hohenbrunn and move back to Salzburg, Austria again.

Tune #10.000 was finished on Dec. 31, 2020. all tunes are registered with full lead sheetswith the Austrian Society of Authors, Composers & Publishers AKM. Prof. T.C. Pfeiler is a regular member.

1.111 Videos on Youtube Check our label site: www.tonewheelrecords.com Full discography is available from Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/search/?q=t.c.+pfeiler&type=release

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 stuff it sounds completely unstrained and very different from other Jazz-organists ! A creative Jazz-musician is not just a reproducer. He creates his own language and unique sounds - the message. T.C.Pfeiler is such a Jazz musician.

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because...I am a Jazz-organist since 1978 I was first exposed to jazz...in 1973 I met [musician name]...and worked with a lot of legendary Jazz-musicians The best show I ever attended was... The first jazz record I bought was...Jimmy Smith, Live at Club Baby Grand in Wilmington, Delaware My advice to new listeners... Or whatever else you have in mind.