Tom Schmidt is director and founder of Karme Thegsum Choyang Music. He began his music education in 1957 at age eight and continues today with the study, practice and teaching of Tibetan sacred insruments to western students. He was a student of the bass violin under Charlie Haden from 1970-72 and Alvin Brehm of the New York Philharmonic in the fall of 1972. In January 1973 he moved to Woodstock, New York where he joined the Gene Dinwiddie Jazz Quartet, became studio bassist and assitant to Karl Berger, founder of the Creative Music Studio and studied another year with Miles Davis bassist, Dave Holland.
Left to right: Paul Antonell, Tom Schmidt, Sean Price, Clubhouse Studio, Rhinebeck, NY
Notable musicians Tom has worked and/or
recorded with are Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Bob Moses, Sam Rivers, Cyro Babtista, Juma Santos, Garrett List, Ingrid Sertso,
Steve Gorn, Kalaparusha, Lee Konitz, Jathiya Abdul Samad, Abdul Munir Fatah, Claude Ranger, Dave Liebman, Eric Kloss, Ed Blackwell, Steve Haas, Barry Altschul, Ray Appleton, Philip Wilson, Dan Brubeck, Carlos Ward, Peter Apfelbaum, Jeanne Lee, Perry Robinson, Betty MacDonald, Franklin Kiermyer, Don Byron, David Sancious, John Lindberg, Frederic Rzewski, Jeff Buckley, Buckethead, Marilyn Crispell, Tani Tabbal and Jerry Granelli.
Tom (left) with Larry Chernicoff at the Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield, Mass.
During the summers of 1975 and 1976 the Creative Music Studio held workshops and concerts at Naropa University in Boulder Colorado where a connection with Tibetan Buddhism was established. Today he regularly works with Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso, Larry Chernicoff's Jazz & Jest, Taino Clave Mundial and Tibetan musicians Dhondup Namgyal Khorko and Penpa Tsering of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA).
Karme Thegsum Choyang Music performed the opening ceremonies of Woodstock '94 playing traditional Tibetan liturgical music for an audience of more than 300,000 people. In 1997, Schmidt acted as liaison between the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery and Martin Scorsese's film Kundun, about the life of the XIV Dalai Lama, when scenes were shot in the main shrine room of the monastery.
Left to right: Unnamed producer, Jack DeJohnette, Naomi Schmidt, and Tom Schmidt at the Allaire Studios
In the summer of 1999 Schmidt traveled to Tibet, China, Nepal, and India to further his research of Kagyu sacred music and recorded ceremonies at the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim. On December 28th 2001, Tom recorded the Karma Pakshi Chant with His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa and 3000 monks in Bodhgaya India, under the Bodhi tree where Lord Sakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment.
In 2004, Schmidt produced a benefit concert for Karma Triyana Dharmachakra that included Philip Glass as principle guest artist, in 2005 a second benefit concert with Lori Anderson and in 2008 a third with Jack DeJohnette & Pat Metheny. Also in 2008,
Kesang Marstrand at the Choyang Studio
Tom produced a CD for upcoming singer-songwriter Kesang Marstrand entitled "Bodega Rose".
Schmidt's Tibetan musical studies have been guided by Lama Tashi Dhondup, Lama Phuntsok Bista, Tenzin Chonyi, Yeshe Namdag, and Umdze Lodro Samphel, principle chant master of the Rumtek Monastery. He currently serves as external affairs officer for the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery, corporate secretary for The Karma Kagyu Institute and is the executive vice-president of the Creative Music Foundation.
Bodega Rose: Kesang Marstrand (North Node Records) 2008 |
The Dalai Lama's Visit to Woodstock: DVD Sound Track (KKI) 2007 |
Green Tara Sadhana: Bardor Tulku Rinpoche, Umdze Lodro Samphel (KKI Records) 2006 |
Medicine Buddha Sadhana: Umdze Lodro Samphel (KKI Records) 2005 |
Singing Bowls and One: Peter Blum (Peter Blum Music) 2005 |
Karma Pakshi Chant: His Holiness Karmapa, Kagyu Monlam (Khaeon Records) 2002 |
Native Lands: Sonam Targee, Joel Harrison, Paul Melnychuck (Toofar Media) 2002 |
A Tribute to the Karmapa: Bardor Tulku Rinpoche, Rumtek monks (Khaeon Records) 2001 |
Auspicious Blazing Sun: Franklin Kiermyer, Umdze Lodro Samphel (Sunship Records) 1999 |
Passion Flower: Sana & Papo Nickel (Taino Worldworks Records) 1997 |
Mahakala Chant: Bardor Tulku Rinpoche, Tenzin Chonyi (KKI Records) 1997 |
Dance With It: Ingrid Sertso, Don Cherry (Enja Records) 1994 |
Jataka Tales: Penny Nichols, Steve Gorn (KKI Records) 1994 |
Grace: Jeff Buckley (Columbia Records) 1994 |
Giant Robot: Buckethead (Sony Records) 1993 |
Jazz Dance: Ingrid Sertso, Karl Berger (ITM Records) 1987 |
Gallery of Air: Larry Chernicoff (Muse/Art Records) 1984 |
Deer Park: Tom Schmidt (Muse/Art Records) 1983 |
Kalaparusha: Kalaparusha & Jack DeJohnette (Trio Records) 1975 |
Peace Church Concerts: Karl Berger, Dave Holland & Bob Moses (CMS) 1974 |
