Tom Schnabel

Tom Schnabel is an internationally recognized radio producer, pioneer, and innovator in world music.

Tom Schnabel is an internationally recognized radio producer, pioneer, and innovator in world music.He helped introduce world music to American audiences as KCRW’s first music director and host of Morning Becomes Eclectic (1979-1991).Tom is the author of two books ("Stolen Moments: Conversations with Contemporary Musicians" and "Rhythm Planet: The Great World Music Makers"), and numerous articles about music.He has produced a number of recordings (Trance Planet, vols. 1–5), and provides music supervision for advertising and movies. He has also served as program director for the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall, and continues to host weekly music shows for KCRW.  His world music blog, Rhythm Planet, launched in May 2013.Tom has degrees from USC (BA, Humanities), The Sorbonne (Diplome Semestrielle) and UCLA (MA, Comparative Literature.Tom has taught in Los Angeles (UCLA Extension, Southern California Institute of Architecture, Mt. Saint Mary’s College) and in Paris (Ecole Universelle).Tom now has over 20 years of experience teaching world music and currently offer weekly music salons at my home. "Music has always been my first love and passion."


BossaCucaNova

There’s a new kind of bossa nova coming from the group BossaCucaNova

Arts, Culture & Media

Tom Schnabel from KCRW shares some of the music from a new CD by a group that is updating bossa nova. Tom Schnabel from KCRW shares some of the music from a new CD by a group that is updating bossa nova.

"Viva Africando" CD Cover.

‘Viva Africando’ is a love letter from West Africa to Latin salsa

Arts, Culture & Media

Banda Magda: From Brazilian Bossa Nova to Frothy French Pop

Arts, Culture & Media
The World

Afro-Funk & Soul From the 1970s and Today

Global Hit

Caravan Palace: Electro-Swing from France

Arts, Culture & Media

Musicians from Germany and Senegal Collaborate for ‘Amanké Dionti’

Global Hit

Senegalese kora player Ablaye Cissoko and singer and jazz trumpet player Volker Goetze from Germany came together to bring out a new album called “Amanké Dionti.”

World-Class Jazz Musicians Come Together for ‘Alma’

Arts, Culture & Media

Paolo Fresu, Omar Sosa and Jaques Morelenbaum have come together to release a new CD called “Alma.”

Top Music Picks of 2011

Arts, Culture & Media

The World’s guest DJs from around the globe for their favorite music picks of 2011.

Chinese Band Haya

Arts, Culture & Media

The band “Haya” sings songs about nature and the Mongolian grasslands in its new album “Migration.”

‘Afro Latin Via Cotonou’ from Benin

Arts, Culture & Media

Tom Schnabel’s DJ pick for today is vintage music from Cotonou, Benin. It’s music recorded in the 1960s and 70s that has never been released in the United States before. The 2-CD set is part of a series called AfroLatin.