| Jazz |
Wolfgang Haffner’s “Life Rhythm Live”: A Masterclass in Jazz Reinvention.
When one of Europe’s finest jazz drummers releases a double live album based on a 2024 studio record, you don’t expect a simple reheating of familiar material. With Life Rhythm Live, Wolfgang Haffner delivers far more than a live replica, he offers an augmented reality of the original. The album’s themes remain intact, but they are reimagined for the stage, rewritten in spirit to give each musician the space to explore, create, and elevate.
Haffner, long admired as both a composer and an arranger with a distinct musical identity, transforms the concert hall into a place of revelation. His new release not only sounds alive, it breathes, pulses, and roars with energy. For an artist who once played in the shadows of legends like Al Jarreau, Jan Garbarek, and Nils Landgren, this album confirms what recent years have made increasingly clear: Haffner is no longer a sideman. He is a charismatic leader, a sonic architect with a signature style carved into every measure.
The studio version of Life Rhythm was a polished, serene exploration of groove and atmosphere. But Life Rhythm Live captures something else entirely: the electric charge of performance, the tactile finesse of a band locked into perfect communion. It’s the kind of album that explains, almost effortlessly, why Haffner’s shows, devoted entirely to his own compositions, consistently sell out in the largest venues across Germany and beyond.
The ensemble assembled for this tour reads like a dream team, and Haffner knew it from the first downbeat. “Keyboardist Simon Oslender and bassist Thomas Stieger have been part of nearly every musical adventure I’ve had these past years,” he explains. “Trumpeter Sebastian Studnitzky had worked with me before, and when I met guitarist Arto Mäkelä two years ago, I was immediately struck by the depth of his playing. With him, the group was complete.”
Each composition on Life Rhythm was written with these specific musicians in mind, a testament to Haffner’s instinct for chemistry. The album’s release in summer 2024 was followed by a major tour that brought his vision to some of Germany’s most prestigious concert halls. “It was an ambitious production,” he notes. “We had a full technical team, carefully crafted lighting, a curated sonic arc from start to finish. No shortcuts.”
There’s a polish here that recalls the best of jazz’s cross-genre titans, think Weather Report, E.S.T., and other boundary-blurring innovators. Haffner’s music, rich with subtle nods to bebop and jazz-rock, resists categorization. These are musicians whose artistic vocabulary transcends national and musical borders, making each performance a fresh experience. For aspiring drummers, Life Rhythm Live is not only an inspiration, but a deviation from the standard fare, a roadmap to rhythm with depth and personality.
“The chemistry was there from the very first moment,” Haffner recalls. “With each passing day, the band grew tighter. What we accomplished night after night was something special. I knew right away it had to be preserved on a live album.”
Many artists might be tempted to bask in this kind of acclaim, especially drummers, who so rarely get the spotlight as bandleaders. But Haffner remains grounded. “I’m just incredibly grateful to make a living through music,” he says. “More than ever, I love playing drums, composing, exploring new musical ideas with amazing artists on stages around the world, for audiences I truly care about.”
Life Rhythm Live is not only a benchmark of the genre—it stands as one of the most compelling statements of contemporary European jazz in years.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, May 10th 2025
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Musicians:
Wolfgang Haffner – drums
Sebastian Studnitzky – trumpet
Arto Mäkelä – guitar
Simon Oslender – keyboards
Thomas Stieger – bass
Album produced, arranged & mixed by Wolfgang Haffner Mastered by Marko Schneider at Skywalk Mastering
Recorded live by Jochen Etzel during the Life Rhythm tour in Germany, November 2024
Tour organized by Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion
Tracklist:
CD 1
01 Life Rhythm 04:28
02 Simple Life 03:22
03 Nacho 04:39
04 Leo 08:19
05 Silence and Sound 03:40 06 Joy of Life 05:21
07 Desert Move 05:49
08 Homerun 07:40
CD 2
01 On a Roll 05:35
02 Dom 06:55
03 Star 04:29
04 Eternity 04:42
05 Keep Going 05:24 06 Here and Now 05:55 07 Open Land 04:39
08 Music 07:28
All music composed by Wolfgang Haffner – except “On a Roll” (Simon Oslender) & “Music” (John Miles)
Produced by Wolfgang Haffner
Wolfgang Haffner on Tour
| 01.07.2025 | Berlin (DE) | A-Trane (Forman/Haffner”Reunion” Trio |
| 02.07.2025 | Berlin (DE) | A-Trane (Forman/Haffner”Reunion” Trio |
| 03.07.2025 | Berlin (DE) | A-Trane (Forman/Haffner”Reunion” Trio |
| 05.07.2025 | Dreieichenhain (DE) | Burgfestspiele |
| 24.07.2025 | Altdorf (DE) | Wichernhaushof |
| 01.08.2025 | Ystad (SE) | Ystad Jazzfestival |
| 21.08.2025 | Frankfurt (DE) | Europa Open Air/Weseler Werft |
| 04.09.2025 | Wunsiedel (DE) | Luisenburg Festspiele |
| 25.09.2025 | Copenhagen (DK) | Montmarte |
| 26.09.2025 | Copenhagen (DK) | Montmarte |
| 21.10.2025 | Hamburg (DE) | Elbphilharmonie |
| 20.02.2026 | Nürnberg (DE) | Tafelhalle |
| 21.02.2026 | Nürnberg (DE) | Tafelhalle |