Tobias Backhaus

Tobias Backhaus is a Berlin drummer, percussionist, improviser, and ensemble musician active in small groups, orchestras, and contemporary jazz projects.

DrumsPercussionImproviserEnsemble musician5 current shows

Photo source · Photo: Jens Vajen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Career Overview

About Tobias Backhaus

GAM Music identifies Backhaus as a Darmstadt-born drummer and percussionist who studied with John Riley, Joey Baron, Keith Copeland, and John Hollenbeck and earned a jazz-performance degree at Berlin University of the Arts.[1]

His artist profiles connect small-group improvisation to work with the Berlin Jazz Orchestra, NDR Big Band, Dresden Symphony Orchestra, and a wide range of European jazz leaders. Transit Room gives that versatility a recurring quartet setting built around saxophone, guitar, bass, and drums.[1][2]

Ensembles and Career Threads

Bands & Projects

Drummer

Transit Room

The band's official member page and catalog document Backhaus in an ensemble moving between composition, free improvisation, and modern jazz repertoire.[2][3][4]

Drummer

Berlin Jazz Orchestra

GAM Music identifies the orchestra among Backhaus's recurring large-ensemble settings and links its Songs of Berlin release.[1]

Drummer and improviser

European small-group work

The label biography documents collaborations across traditional jazz, free improvisation, contemporary composition, and leader-led touring ensembles.[1][2]

Selected, Not Exhaustive