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Bernhard Haaks
 Percussion, Drum Set & Early Childhood Bernhard Haaks grew up in Bruckmuehl, a small town in the Bavarian Alps and found his love for Jazz at the age of seven. By the age of eighteen, he decided to make Music to his aspiration and profession, leading him to enroll in one of the major Jazz programs in Germany of the 1980s, the FMZ in Munich. During his four years of studying at the FMZ, Bernhard was fortunate to be taught Music Theory and Composition by Goetz Tangerding (one of three premier students of George Russell) and Drumming by Rudolf Roth and Omar Belmonte (Argentina). After receiving his degree, he moved to New York City to further his studies with Master Drummer Michael Carvin throughout the 1990s. At the same time, Bernhard worked with Jazz Legend and Basist Bill Crow, and Guitarist Ed Diehl. He also played with Ruswell Rudd, Sam Newsome, Roberta Piket, Carlton Holmes, Sharif Kales, Daniel Extra, Beavin Lawrence and others. In 1999 Bernhard performed with a collection of internationally renown Singers and Jazz Greats including Ann Ross and John Hendricks (of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross) for Kofhi Annan and the full assembly of the United Nations. Also in 1999 he traveled to Ghana, West Africa, to study ritual and dance drumming of the Ewe people with Master Drummer Reuben Agbeli, being one of the leading Drummers and performers in Ghana. In 2005 and 2006 he worked extensively with Master Guitarist Al DeFino (Guitarist for Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr., long time head of the guitar department at the Berklee College of Music in Boston). In 2008 and up to date, Bernhard is collaborating with internationally renown Concert Pianist and Jazz Caberet Singer Ms Julie Holtzmanand formed the Bernhard Haaks Quintet and the group Blue Moon,merging modern Classical Music with Jazz. Since 2006 he is studying regularly with Jazz legends and Master Drummers Lenny White (Miles Davis, Freddy Hubbard, etc) and Joe Morello (Dave Brubeck Quartet). From 2000 up to date, Bernhard is a faculty member of the Amadeus Conservatory in Chappaqua, NY, teaching drum-set, snare drum and early childhood music education.  Bernhard's Early Childhood Classes Click to download: Bernhards bio.pdf |