Chris Ha
«Lyrical, restrained playing meets grooving moments and sublimated (rock) beats.»
«Like well-crafted clockwork, the complex grooves mesh fluidly into one another.»
Essence through Presence
Chris Ha Trio
The Chris Ha Trio works at the meeting point of contemporary jazz, minimal music and progressive rock: polyrhythm, reduction and groove are its essential ingredients. Together with drummer Moritz Ulrich and bassist Philipp Janz, Chris Ha shapes an ensemble sound that is intellectually challenging and at the same time immediately physical.
initial
Released in November 2025, the debut album documents the trio’s sound in six pieces. Pared-down melodies are repeated, shifted and layered until polyrhythms emerge that unsettle the groove for a moment before it finally locks in. Calm, almost static passages alternate with rocking, driving ones. The means stay spare, the tension high. Produced together with metal producer Manuel Cohnen, the record captures the energy that also marks the trio live.
Live
The trio plays clubs, festivals and concert series. Dates on request.
Upcoming
2026Past
From the instrument to the stage
Playing precisely is a physical skill before it is a musical one. I work with pianists, bands and ensembles on rhythm, presence and the body that produces the sound — from a first lesson to preparing for the stage.
Piano lessons
Instrumental teaching for beginners through advanced players, in classical, jazz and contemporary repertoire. Weekly or in blocks.
Rhythm training
Polyrhythm, subdivision and odd metres, worked through until they are felt rather than counted. For any instrument.
Band coaching
Sessions with your group: arrangement, groove, dynamics and how a band listens to itself on stage.
Presence & body work
Posture, breath and ease at the instrument are the physical basis for attention, timing and dramaturgy on stage. Less effort, more clarity.
Not sure which of these fits? Tell me what you are working on.
Get in touchBackground
I look at music from three perspectives: as a musicologist who approaches music analytically, as a player in other people’s projects on percussion and piano, and as a composer of my own pieces with my trio.
I was shaped by Nik Bärtsch’s Zen Funk: a few elements, thoughtfully interwoven, that add up to a complex sound. The trio’s music grows out of this reduction. For me, teaching is the same work in another form, and the body work in it draws on my long-standing yoga and meditation practice.
What people say
«Very well worked out and punchy. A telling record with complex compositions and great interplay.»
«Leader Chris Ha convinces with a transparent, sharply contoured pianism, with sensual block chords and harmonic richness.»
«Chris Ha shifts mood and groove kaleidoscopically yet coherently, always very clever and never pretentious.»
Downloads
Press text, photographs and cover artwork for promoters and editors. Photo credit: David Kötter. The images are cleared for editorial use in connection with the trio.