Carl Otto Drewo, also known as Karl Drewo, was an Austrian saxophonist born on May 17, 1929, in Vienna. He began studying piano in 1943 and later took saxophone lessons under Charly Gaudriot. His first recordings came in 1947 with Paul Reischmann’s ensemble Beschwingte Neun, including the track “B 9 Boogie.” Drewo collaborated with prominent musicians such as Fatty George and Joe Zawinul and performed with ensembles like the Austrian All Stars. From 1958 to 1971, he was a leading soloist in Kurt Edelhagen’s orchestra in Cologne. In 1959, he was an early founding member of the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band and, in 1973, joined the ORF-Big Band under Johannes Fehring and Erich Kleinschuster. From 1979 until his death on May 10, 1995, Drewo served as a professor at the University of Music in Graz.
