Thomas Daniel Schnabel (born February 5, 1947, in Los Angeles) is a music consultant, producer and DJ. Based in Los Angeles, he was formerly the music director at KCRW. [1]
Tom Schnabel attended USC, The Sorbonne, and UCLA. He later taught high school and college level English and literature courses in Los Angeles, and later ESL in Paris. Schnabel began producing radio for station KCRW in 1977. During his tenure as music director of KCRW (1979–90), KCRW grew from an obscure college station to become one of the most influential public stations in the United States. He developed the eclectic music format, hosting the daily three-hour Morning Becomes Eclectic show, and introduced World Music to public radio. [2] During this time KCRW twice won CMJ's "Best Noncommercial Station" award (1986, 89). Schnabel left KCRW as Music Director in 1990 to broaden his career as a record producer, music consultant, and teacher.
Schnabel has taught World Music and other courses at UCLA Extension and the Southern California Institute of Architecture. He consults on World Music with the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences as well as producing World Music CDs: Trance Planet, 5 volumes (Triloka Records) and Quango World: Voices (Quango/Island). He has consulted for the Palm Pictures/National Geographic series, Palm World Voices. [3] Schnabel has also consulted for various films including Groundhog Day , O Quatrilho , Dinosaur and was music supervisor of John Sayles' Spanish-language feature film Men with Guns .
Schnabel has written extensively about music for various publications, including The Los Angeles Times, Jazz Magazine (France), Cashbox, Down Beat, Esquire Magazine, Buzz Magazine, and LA Style. He also authored two works of music history and culture: Stolen Moments: Conversations with Contemporary Musicians (Acrobat Books 1988), and Rhythm Planet - The Great World Music Makers (Universe/Rizzoli. 1998).
Schnabel continues to deejay musical events around Los Angeles. He also hosted a weekend program on KCRW's Cafe L.A., which played a mix of international, new and exotic sounds. His current project on KCRW is Rhythm Planet, a jazz and world-music show which is available for on-demand streaming.
Schnabel helps to help direct KCRW’s World Festival series, whose featured artists have included Thievery Corporation, Willie Nelson, Gotan Project, Zero 7, Gilberto Gil, A.R. Rahman, Carlinhos Brown, Youssou N’Dour, The Buena Vista Social Club, Cesária Évora, Femi Kuti and Baaba Maal. His Walt Disney Concert Hall series has featured Ravi Shankar, Miriam Makeba, Alison Krauss, Osvaldo Golijov and Gustavo Santaolalla. Many new and undiscovered world musicians and composers have found international recognition through Schnabel's efforts, through his recordings, airplay, and productions of live concerts in the vibrant Los Angeles music community[ citation needed ].
In July 1998, Schnabel was honored by the French Ministry of Culture with the prestigious French Medal of Arts Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Des Lettres, for his work in "furthering knowledge of World Music in America." He has also been awarded several citations from the City and County of Los Angeles.
Zakir Hussain is an Indian tabla player, composer, percussionist, music producer and film actor. He is the eldest son of tabla player Alla Rakha. He is widely considered as one of the greatest tabla players of all time.
Michael Daniel Penn is an American musician, singer and composer. His 1989 single "No Myth" was a top 20 hit in the US and successful in several other countries.
KCSN is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Northridge, California, and owned by California State University, Northridge. The station simulcasts with KSBR from Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. The station primarily airs adult album alternative (AAA) and Americana music with a mix of legends, new music, and local music with some specialty programming on weekends.
KCRW is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programming from NPR and other affiliates. A network of repeaters and broadcast translators, as well as internet radio, allows the station to serve the Greater Los Angeles area and other communities in Southern California. The station's main transmitter is located in Los Angeles's Laurel Canyon district and broadcasts in the HD radio format. It is one of two full NPR members in the Los Angeles area; Pasadena-based KPCC is the other.
Nic Harcourt is an English-born American radio and television presenter, producer, and journalist best known as the former Music Director and on-air presenter for the Santa Monica, California-based radio station KCRW. Harcourt hosts the weekday 88.5 FM Morning Music Mix at KCSN in Northridge, California.
Morning Becomes Eclectic (MBE) is a three-hour adult album alternative radio program first aired in 1977 and broadcast live every weekday from KCRW in Santa Monica, California. The show's name is a play on the Eugene O'Neill trilogy of plays, Mourning Becomes Electra.
Damien Beebe, known professionally as DJ Day is a DJ, producer and musician from Palm Springs, California. He formed the Innernational Crew with DJ Rip One in 1995, and had subsequent appearances with Innernational on Return of the DJ III & Laid in Full. He has worked with Stones Throw recording artists Aloe Blacc and Clutchy Hopkins, as well as remixes for Quantic, Alice Russell, People Under The Stairs and more.
Chris Douridas is an American popular DJ and musical tastemaker at Santa Monica, California's radio station KCRW, where he hosts a two-hour program showcasing progressive new music. He is also a filmmaker, actor, television presenter, and a three-time Grammy-nominated producer of soundtracks and music videos.
Jason Bentley is an American radio disc jockey of electronic music in Los Angeles, California. On December 1, 2008, Bentley replaced Nic Harcourt as the host of Morning Becomes Eclectic and as Music Director for KCRW. Previously he had hosted two radio programs: Afterhours on KROQ-FM, and Metropolis on KCRW, the latter for 16 years until November 28, 2008. Bentley and KCRW revived Metropolis in 2013; the show currently airs Saturdays in the 8PM to 10 PM slot.
Raul Campos is a music host on the Los Angeles–based public radio station, KCRW/KCRW.com. Raul Campos creates a mix of emerging artists and current favorites, bringing essential cuts from around the world and a little closer to home. He is regarded as an important DJ in dance music, indie rock and Latin electronica and was described by the Los Angeles Times as a “unique voice in LA radio.”
AM is an American songwriter, musician, composer and producer born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, raised in New Orleans, and currently residing in the Los Angeles Echo Park neighborhood in California. AM or A.M. refers to his band and is also the moniker for this artist. Known for his seamless fusing of pop, soul, funk and world music, recording artist AM has released several critically acclaimed albums and toured the world. His newest collaboration with London artist/producer Shawn Lee, has been described by Rolling Stone as "hypnotic" and by Daytrotter as "intricate, groove-filled dreamscapes that are every bit organic and every bit mad genius."
Gary Calamar is an American film and television music supervisor, who has been nominated five times for Grammy Awards. Calamar's notable credits include The Man In The High Castle,Six Feet Under, True Blood, House, Weeds, Entourage, Dexter, and Varsity Blues. He also hosted a long-running program on the influential radio station KCRW in Santa Monica, before moving to 88.5 KCSN in September 2018. Calamar is also a songwriter and recording artist.
Chris and Thomas are an American folk duo Christopher Anderson and Thomas Hien. They are signed with Defend Music.
Jim Bianco is an independent musician, singer, songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles, California.
Helen Stellar are a Los Angeles–based American band. The band members are Jim Evens, Clif Clehouse (drums), Dustin Robles (bass), and Eli Lhymn (guitar). Although unsigned, the group has enjoyed considerable radio and soundtrack success with support from tastemakers including DJ Nic Harcourt, and directors Cameron Crowe and Gregg Araki.
Jason Kramer is a music supervisor and American radio personality. He is best known for his weekly radio show on Santa Monica, California-based, freeform public radio station KCRW.
Ruth Seymour was an American broadcasting executive known for her innovative work with public radio. She has been described as a pioneer in public radio and "a commanding presence in the public radio arena".
Mark Swed is an American music critic who specializes in classical music. Since 1996 he has been the chief classical music critic of the Los Angeles Times where his writings have made him a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Prior to his LA Times post, Swed was the chief music critic for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and The Wall Street Journal, and has contributed other writings to a variety of publications including The Orchestra, an iPad application. He has a particular interest in contemporary classical music.
Deirdre O'Donoghue was a disc jockey known for her shows SNAP! on KCRW-FM and Breakfast with the Beatles on KMET-FM and later KLSX-FM. She has been called the "most influential American DJ you’ve never heard of" due to her show having many underground guests such as The Dream Syndicate and Concrete Blonde, while also welcoming established artists as well.
Spiritual jazz is a sub-genre of jazz that originated in the United States during the 1960s. The genre is hard to characterize musically but draws from free, avant-garde and modal jazz and thematically focuses on transcendence and spirituality. John Coltrane's 1965 album A Love Supreme is considered landmark in the genre.