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Hal Willner

Hal Willner was an American music producer working in recording, films, TV and live events. He is best known for assembling tribute albums and events featuring a wide variety of artists and musical styles (jazz, classical, rock, Tin Pan Alley). His first tribute album was Amarcord Nino Rota in 1981.

In the late 1970s he worked under record producer Joel Dorn, credited as Associate Producer on Leon Redbone's albums Double Time and Champagne Charlie, and The Neville Brothers' Fiyo on the Bayou. Willner has been the sketch music producer of Saturday Night Live since 1981. He was also a producer of the TV program Sunday Night hosted by David Sanborn.

Willner has produced albums for Marianne Faithfull, Lou Reed, Bill Frisell, William S. Burroughs, Gavin Friday, Lucinda Williams, Laurie Anderson and Allen Ginsberg, among others. He produced a live tribute concert to Tim Buckley, that ultimately launched the career of Tim's son Jeff. He has released one album under his own name: Whoops, I'm an Indian, which featured audio samples from 78 rpm records from the early-mid 20th century.

Following earlier stagings (see list below), in January 2010 Willner produced his pirate-themed concert event Rogue's Gallery for the Sydney Festival. The multinational cast included Marianne Faithfull, Todd Rundgren, Tim Robbins, Gavin Friday, Peter Garrett, Baby Gramps, David Thomas, Sarah Blasko, Katy Steele, Peaches, Glenn Richards, Liam Finn, Camille O'Sullivan, Kami Thompson and Marry Waterson

Artisti Vari; Hal Willner: Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex

Read "Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex" reviewed by Maurizio Comandini

by Maurizio Comandini
September 14, 2020

Il maledetto killer invisibile, che tutto il mondo sta combattendo, si è portato via uno dei produttori più importanti della storia della musica moderna: il geniale, imprevedibile, incontenibile Hal Willner se ne è volato in cielo ai primi di aprile di questo anno terribile. Ha lasciato il pianeta mentre stava assestando gli ultimi colpi d'anca a questo flipper virtuale multicolorato che fortunatamente è stato poi completato adeguatamente, anche grazie al prezioso lavoro di raccordo di Marc Urselli. Questo doppio fa ...

Profile

Amarcord Hal Willner

by Ludovico Granvassu
April 15, 2020

The iconic producer Hal Willner passed away a little over a week ago, on Tuesday 7 April 2020. The same day, John Prine and Eddy Davis also took off. It felt like a COVID-19-induced Black Tuesday for the music world, but maybe Hal had simply invited them to join him for a follow-up to Lost in the Stars, together with Sun Ra, William S. Burroughs, Lou Reed, Allen Ginsberg, Jaki Byard, Hunter S. Thompson, Dr. John, Ken Nordine, Muhal Richard ...

Radio & Podcasts

Hal Willner, Nino Rota & Beyond

by Ludovico Granvassu
August 1, 2018

For Today's episode we go back in time to 1981, the year in which Amarcord Nino Rota by producer Hal Willner was released. 37 years later it remains a reference record and one of the greatest tribute albums ever produced, and recently remastered and re-released by Corbett vs. Dempsey. We take a look back at the making of this great album with an interview with Hal Willner, and we play music from some of his other tribute projects (to Thelonious ...

Interview

Hal Willner's Rock 'n' Rota

by Ludovico Granvassu
July 26, 2018

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Anyone who has ever been at an all-star event--especially if that was a tribute concert--has learned the importance of Aristotle's maxim the hard way. Maybe the occasion was momentous, the cast probably star-studded, the heart certainly in the right place and the expectations high... however, at the end of the performance, all that was left were the glitter and the glory while the emotions were M.I.A. and the musical highlights ...