An elegant and exquisite sense of musicality accompanies long-time jazz DJ, Bo Leibowitz to KCRW’s master control room, where he “plays sides” in the wee small hours of Saturday morning. On-air at KCRW since 1979, Bo’s passion for jazz developed young.
“I was about 16 — before that I was into Buddy Holly and Elvis.” He began listening to records sent for review to his newspaper journalist father. “I discovered them in our basement -- Charlie Parker, Art Blakely… you play one record and say, hey that alto player appeals to me, so you pick up something by the alto player, where you discover a trumpet player, and it just sort of mushrooms from there.”
He also had friends who were accomplished musicians.
“They would practice all the time and I would just go and listen and learn. We’d go crazy with every new Coltrane record because, at that time, in the mid-60's or so, Coltrane's records were developing, and every record was another leap forward.”
An Indianapolis native, Bo went to college in Philadelphia then decided to try life in New York City, where he wrote album and concert reviews for FM Guide, “the equivalent to TV Guide.”
He later moved to Boston, ran a record store in Cambridge, and had jazz shows on WBUR and WTBS. (“They sold the call letters to Ted Turner for something like $50,000.”) He even wrote The Record Collector’s Handbook, a compendium of rankings based on value.
“The rarest record in the world is the soundtrack to The Caine Mutiny. When they printed it in 1954, author Herman Wouk's name was left off the cover; he threatened to sue, and it was withdrawn. But ONE box made it to some small record store in NY. It used to be worth about five grand, who knows these days.”
After a trip to LA, “shedding more layers of clothing the further west I drove,” Bo moved here and got his DJ tape to then-music director, Tom Schnabel, who put him on the air “back in the days when the station was still on the campus of John Adams Junior High.”
A court reporter by day, and dad to a son named Evan, “after pianist Bill Evans, one of my favorite musicians,” Bo spends his spare time listening to classic and new jazz artists. His faves these days include “a new album of just discovered live performances of Monk with Coltrane at Carnegie Hall, released for Coltrane’s birthday,” and some rising young stars, “vocalists Sara Gazarek and Roberta Gambarini, and reed player Anat Cohen,” all of whom he believes deserve to be heard more.
Bo Leibowitz on KCRW
More from KCRW
MBE Playlist March 22: Your weekend groove
Best New MusicRemi Wolf’s new LP “Big Ideas” is coming on July 12 and we’re gearing up by spinning her just-dropped single “Cinderella.”
Corinne Bailey Rae: KCRW Live from Apogee Studio
ArtsGrammy-winner Corinne Bailey Rae expands into punk and free jazz playing cuts from her audacious 2023 LP “Black Rainbows,” live From Apogee Studio.
MBE Playlist March 27: From psych-soul-beats to Laurel Canyon’s new generation
Best New MusicWanna “Get Fly?”
Eclectic 24
Best New MusicKCRW's all-music channel blending the collected talents and tastes of all KCRW's DJs into a single voice streaming 24 hours a day.
LeRoy Downs' playlist, March 24, 2024
Music"Just Jazz" with LeRoy Downs. Downs' goal is to bring a varied sonic experience to jazz, while blending music, style, and culture.
Today’s Top Tune: Great Big Cow - ‘Carbondale’
Best New MusicThis week we celebrate the undiscovered musical talent (under 21) in the greater LA area culled from a couple of hundred submissions to KCRW’s Young Creators Project .
The Lemonfrogs spin heartbreak into sonic gold: Young Creators Project
MusicSan Fernando Valley band The Lemonfrogs have the balm for your next broken heart. It’s their dreamy indie-pop waltz, “Naive.”
Eclectic 24
Best New MusicKCRW's all-music channel blending the collected talents and tastes of all KCRW's DJs into a single voice streaming 24 hours a day.
FREAKS ONLY playlist: José Galván guest hosts
Best New MusicCheck out “Pattymanajaro” from new(ish) guitar-pop project Yasawa Group ahead of their debut show at the Paramount this weekend.