About

Michael Hammer grew up in Aarau (CH). Rhythm was innate to him. He founded his first band while still at school. Music was and is his passion.

His school days in Aarau were interspersed with hospital stays due to his birth defect (Crouzon's disease), and numerous operations were necessary.

He received his first drum and piano lessons from Jan Bächinger and Thomas Steiner. Marco Käppeli was later his teacher and accompanied him until he entered the Lucerne University of Music (drums major); Bachelor's degree in 2009, Master's degree in 2011. During his studies, Marc Halbheer, Gerry Hemingway, Lucas Niggli, Fabian Kuratli and Christoph Stiefel were his valuable teachers. In 2011 Hammer was a Pro Argovia Artist.

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He recorded his first CD "ONE" in 2005 with Mark Soskin, Donny McCaslin, Kurt Weil and Fabian Gisler. He got to know them all as a repeated participant in JazzAar. The second CD "Boom2Boom" (2006) was created with his friend and mentor Danny Gottlieb, among others. This even brought him together with drumming legend Joe Morello. Collaboration with a quartet consisting of fellow students led to the third CD "Excited3" in 2008. A little later in 2009, "Four In New York" with Leo Genovese (piano) and Gene Perla (bass) as well as "Strikes, Ups And Bends" with big band followed.

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In addition to standards, Hammer's own compositions with influences from jazz, blues and pop can be heard on all of these recordings. In addition to concerts with his own projects, he plays numerous gigs as a sideman from duos to big bands (including Big Band Aarau). He could be heard at the SnowpenAir with Pfuri and blues musicians from Chicago or the Melody Festival with the symphony orchestra and Francine Jordi. The current collaboration with Srdjan Vukasinovic combines jazz, pop and classical music.

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All of these projects also enrich Hammer’s teaching activities. He wants to awaken his students' joy and curiosity about music in all its facets.

Hammer teaches drums at music schools and privately (drums and piano), substitutes for school music at lower and upper schools and leads band workshops.