Matthias is special in many ways. Few percussion players are so involved in the music of Brazil as Haffner is. Having lived and studied there for a couple of years playing with the locals, he has mastered playing the Pandeiro and other Brazillian instuments like no-one else.



He's not only a member of Panchito but also the bandleader of Batuquinho, a samba batucada group with whom he has won the European Samba award in 2002 and the Dutch drumaward in 2003 and 2004!



Haffner chose making a living as a professional musician in the mid nineties when he decided to study Latin percussion at the Rotterdam´s conservatory in the Netherlands. During and after his six years of studying mainly Cuban and Brazilian music he joined and established many band projects in this field, playing Latin Jazz, Salsa, Brazilian Music, Reggae, Fusion, as well as projects for theatres or working as a studiomusician. A few longtime travels to Brazil, Cuba, Africa and India opened his mind to different cultures and their music and formed his personality, feeling a deep gratitude and respect for life.



Current projects besides Bloco Coringa are: Panchito (Latin Jazz - www.panchito.nl), Choro Azul (Choro), De Muzikale Toverketel (World Music for kids – www.jwajazz.nl), Batuquinho (Modern and Brazilian Percussion – www.batuquinho.com ), Itapipoca (Música Popular Brasileira), Banda Lobo (Brazilian Music), Naima (Jazz). Matthias plays/played with Alaor Soares (www.redondo.nl), Medicamento (www.medicamento.nl), Anna Elise de Jong, Monsieur Dubois, Paulo Moura and many others.



In Bloco Coringa, Matthias forms together with Maxim the Tamborim "section". The Tamborim is a small, but very pushy Brazilian instrument, which stuctures a batucada and adds rhythmically interesting phrases and spicy lines to it. For the socalled Pandeiro, a Brazilian framedrum with jingles, Matthias developed a special love – you will hear him playing that instrument in the Pagode line-up.