The music of Panzerballett has been designed to function as a perfect workout to highly develop, expand, and reinforce the connections between the brain and each muscle used for head banging. Some have reported head shaking as an early side-effect that mostly, after prolonged exposure, develops into smiling and sometimes even rapturous laughter.


"Panzerballett is the first band I've heard that really leads Music into the 21st Century!"
Randy Brecker

"Very well done. Normally, I don't like people re-arranging my father's music but this was a pleasant surprise."
Dweezil Zappa

"What you are doing is truly innovative and refreshing, not to say ingenious."
Mattias IA Eklundh, Freak Kitchen

"Hart Genossen von ABBA bis Zappa – My favourite record 2009."
Bård Torstensen, Clawfinger


Some facts:
– Approx. 200 shows in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, USA, France, Armenia, Lithuania
– 2009: third album release "Hart Genossen" on ACT (rank #25 German jazz charts)
– 2008: second album release "Starke Stücke" on ACT (rank #26 German jazz charts)
– 2006: first album release (self-titled)
– Opening act for Chick Corea & John McLaughlin, MacAlpine/Sheehan/Donati, Bill Frisell, Freak Kitchen, Mattias "IA" Eklundh, Christophe Godin's Mörglbl, Nick Barrett & Clive Nolan (Pendragon), Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Nina Hagen
– Appeareance on German television (WDR, 3sat, ARTE)
– Live appereance at ProgDay, The Baked Potato, Festival Crescendo, Rock in Opposition, MAI Nancy, Yerevan Summer Music Festival, Dresdner Drumfestival, Zappanale, Burg Herzberg Festival, Leverkusener Jazztage, Leipziger Jazztage, Baltic Prog Fest, Freakshow Artrock Festival


Jan Zehrfeld (guitar) founded Panzerballett in 2004, since then writing and arranging the music and producing the albums. He studied jazz guitar at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz, Austria, at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich, Germany and went to GIT in Los Angeles, California. He has performed with Klaus Doldinger's Passport, The Hilliard Ensemble as well as the German National Jazz Orchestra and was invited by Mattias "IA" Eklundh to teach at his Freak Guitar Camp in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Josef Doblhofer (guitar) studied at Bruckner-Konservatorium Linz, Austria and toured with Deep Purple's Ian Paice
Alexander von Hagke (sax) studied saxophone and clarinet in Munich and in New York City. Besides two album releases of his own projects he toured Europe, as well as in USA and Asia, with various groups. He was a member of both the Bavarian Youth and German National Jazz Orchestras and received the Bavarian Cultural Funding Award as well as a scholarship of the German National Merit Foundation. Nota bene: He also holds a university degree in mathematics.
Heiko Jung (bass) concluded his studies at the Richard Strauss Conservatory, Munich, with high honours, and was a member of the Bavarian Youth Jazz Orchestra. He won first prize with his group "Fourscore" at the "Young Jazz Players" contest in Bavaria and played with high-profile artists like Julian Rachlin & Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Doldinger's Passport, Martin Grubinger jun., Claudio Roditi, Jay Ashby or Bobby Shew. Furthermore he is a writer for the magazine Bass Quarterly.
Sebastian Lanser (drums) studied at Bruckner-Konservatorium Linz, Austria, played with T.M. Stevens, toured extensively with highly acclaimed percussionist Martin Grubinger jun. and performed numerous drum clinics for Meinl Cymbals and TAMA Drums.