For Wolfgang Haffner, the most prominent German drummer of our time, things came to a particularly abrupt halt, not least because his regular schedule is so packed and his habitual workrate is so prolific. He is normally travelling across all five continents, playing with stellar artists from all kinds of genres; his own exceptional craft as a drummer is to be heard on no fewer than 400 albums. But this time, for once, he wasn't having to fit it in between other commitments, but could set about it in a concentrated way. It is logical, therefore, that the album which has resulted from this unique time should be called Silent World. This dreamer in sound is able to combine groove and bounce with an extravagant sound palette, plus the power of simple melodies, and to bring it all together in a way which is unmistakably his. And he always creates a special kind of tension. Silent World is about the essentials of being human, a message which Haffner signals clearly with concise track titles such as The Peace Inside, Hope or Belief. Sometimes we're in the world of hymns, sometimes of dreams, but there is always a melody to be grasped and a pulse to be felt, and those points of reference give a basis for the listener to focus and to enjoy the music thoroughly. Silent World has a special strength about it which comes from calm. And an irresistible progression from Here and Now all the way through to Forever and Ever, the latter a minimalist finale with just piano and bass, a lovely moment avoiding any portentous heaviness.
