060 – Dan Schnelle: Learning From Four Masters, Playing In the Moment, Practicing vs. Listening

Dan Schnelle was born and raised in New York and came to LA to attend college at USC. While in school, he studied with an impressive succession of teachers; Ndugu Chancler, Aaron Serfaty, Peter Erskine and Terri Lyne Carrington, each of whom presented him with a boot camp of different concepts. After graduating, Dan stayed in LA where he has been one of the busiest drummers in town for over a decade. He has played with a host of world-renowned jazz artists, including Josh Nelson, Ambrose Akinmusire, Daniel Rosenboom, and Sara Gazarek. In this podcast, Dan talks about:

Growing up on Long Island and being into everything but jazz as a teenager

What each of his legendary college mentors brought out in his playing

Learning the language of jazz through transcribing the great drummers, but also through transcribing solos by the great horn players and pianists and playing them on the drums

Absorbing the more improvisational styles of drummers like Tony and Elvin, and the more groove-oriented jazz drummers like Al Foster and Billy Higgins.

How the LA jazz scene compares to the New York jazz scene

Playing instrumental jazz vs. vocal jazz

His long-running musical partnership with pianist/composer Josh Nelson, and the unique recording process of Nelson’s last album

His process of preparation for the wide array of gigs he plays