Tom Schnabel

Tom Schnabel

Host, Tom Schnabel's Rhythm Planet

Contact: tom.schnabel@kcrw.com | 310-581-5823

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 Advisor for the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall.  Tom has taught in Los Angeles (UCLA Extension, SCIARC, Mt. Saint Mary’s College) and in Paris (Ecole Universelle). He has over 18 years of experience teaching world music and currently offers weekly music salons at his home.

His new project at KCRW, Rhythm Planet, showcases the best in jazz and world music.  The digital platform includes an on-demand show, a membership club, a blog, and a series of live music salons.  

Tom Schnabel on KCRW

Celebrate the charm and legacy of Tony Bennett, who died at 96, with a newly-unearthed 1990 interview on Morning Becomes Eclectic.

Tony Bennett on neighborhood charm, Count Basie, and painting landscapes

Celebrate the charm and legacy of Tony Bennett, who died at 96, with a newly-unearthed 1990 interview on Morning Becomes Eclectic.

from Music Special Programming

Late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto joins Tom Schnabel in 1988 for his first of many visits to KCRW, where they discuss fame, technology, and artistic influences.

The exquisite zen of Ryuichi Sakamoto: On fame, technology, and art (1988)

Late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto joins Tom Schnabel in 1988 for his first of many visits to KCRW, where they discuss fame, technology, and artistic influences.

from Music Special Programming

Musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away last week. Though he’s considered an early pioneer of electronic music, he fused together many genres.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: The late composer was a ‘musical polymath’ and fashion icon

Musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away last week. Though he’s considered an early pioneer of electronic music, he fused together many genres.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

More from KCRW

Warner Bros. unceremoniously released Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 in less than 50 theaters nationwide, but the mid-budget film has exceeded expectations.

from The Business

As the first wave of LA punk started to take hold in Hollywood, both on and off the Sunset Strip, the girls of the rock n roll underground flattened scene hierarchy by carrying the…

from Lost Notes

Ivy broke out in the early 2000s with "Edge of the Ocean." As their album “Long Distance” makes its vinyl debut, the surviving members reflect on its creation.

from Music Special Programming

Disney’s streaming numbers soar as announced in the company’s earnings report earlier this week, but questions remain in the ongoing search for a new CEO.

from The Business

Fanatic! I hope your week was buoyant and full of music. I’ve been getting in good vinyl sessions after work every single night.

from Henry Rollins

Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield assesses how constant internet access affects the coming-of-age experience of pandemic teens in a new series called “Social Studies.”

from KCRW Features

The latest film releases include Here, A Real Pain, Blitz, and Emilia Perez.

from Weekend Film Reviews

Grammy and Oscar-winner Jon Batiste reconstructs Beethoven classics through a blues lens. The resulting album, “Beethoven Blues,” hits no. 1 on KCRW Top 30.

from Music Special Programming

The latest film releases include Venom: The Last Dance, Conclave, New Wave, and No One Asked You.

from Weekend Film Reviews