Hellmut Hattler, born on April 12, 1952, in Ulm, West Germany, is a German jazz and rock bassist and composer. Initially influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Hattler began his musical journey with violin lessons as a child and later played guitar before transitioning to the bass. In 1971, he founded the jazz-rock group Kraan with Peter Wolbrandt, Jan Fride Wolbrandt, and Johannes Pappert. The band released several albums, including Kraan (1972) and Wintrup (1973), before disbanding in 1983 and later reforming in the late 1980s. Hattler then pursued solo projects and collaborations with international musicians such as Tina Turner and Billy Cobham. In 2000, he launched his project Hattler, where he released his debut solo album No Eats Yes (2001) which won the German ECHO Award for Best Jazz Production of the year.
