Hal Willner
Hal Willner was an American music producer working in recording, films, TV and live events. He was best known for assembling tribute albums and events featuring a wide variety of artists and musical styles. He died during the COVID-19 pandemic due to complications brought on by COVID-19.
Early life
Willner was born in Philadelphia in 1956. His father and uncle were Holocaust survivors. Willner moved to New York City in 1974 to attend New York University, but did not graduate.Career
In the late 1970s, Willner 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 became the sketch music producer of Saturday Night Live in 1980, where he chose the music to be used in sketches for four decades. From 1988 to 1990 he produced the TV program Sunday Night, which was hosted by David Sanborn and presented musicians from a wide variety of genres.Willner produced albums for Marianne Faithfull, Lou Reed, Bill Frisell, Steven Bernstein, 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 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, 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.
Personal life
At the time of his death he was married to television producer Sheila Rogers, and they had one son Arlo.Death
Willner had symptoms consistent with COVID-19. He died at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on April 7, 2020, one day after his 64th birthday during the pandemic in New York City. A tribute to Willner was played during the April 11, 2020 episode of Saturday Night Live, featuring both the reminiscences of current and past cast members and a choral rendition of Lou Reed's song "Perfect Day".Productions
Concept albums produced by Hal Willner
- Amarcord Nino Rota Willner's first tribute album salutes Italian composer Nino Rota, and features interpretation of his music for Federico Fellini films by jazz musicians including: Wynton and Branford Marsalis; Carla Bley; Muhal Richard Abrams; Bill Frisell; Steve Lacy; and Jaki Byard; plus singer–songwriter Deborah Harry.
- That's The Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk features pop and jazz musicians including Steve Lacy, Dr. John, John Zorn, Donald Fagen, and Peter Frampton.
- ' features musicians ranging from Sting to Charlie Haden
- ' features performances of songs from Walt Disney movies by a large cast of artists ranging from Sun Ra to Michael Stipe, Ringo Starr, Yma Sumac and Ken Nordine
- Weird Nightmare: Meditations on Mingus is a tribute to Charles Mingus, featuring instruments designed and built by American composer Harry Partch, on loan from his estate. Performers include Bill Frisell, Vernon Reid, Henry Rollins, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Don Byron, Henry Threadgill, Gary Lucas, Bobby Previte, Robert Quine, Leonard Cohen, Diamanda Galás, Chuck D, Francis Thumm, and Elvis Costello
- September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill re-creation of the previous Weill tribute as a Canadian TV special directed by Larry Weinstein. A CD was issued including performances by Nick Cave and PJ Harvey. The list of performers on this recording is quite different from the list of performers on his previous Weill tribute. Some of those that are on both tributes, such as Lou Reed and Charlie Haden, provide new recordings of the pieces they contributed previously. Many of the songs included are the same, although the new recording tends toward more historical recordings, while the previous one tended toward more avant-garde tributes.
- ' another Larry Weinstein TV program. The CD includes performances by Rufus Wainwright, Debbie Harry, David Johansen, Eric Mingus and Sandra Bernhard
- ' soundtrack for Lian Lunson's documentary film about Willner's Leonard Cohen tribute event Came So Far for Beauty
- ' 2x double CD includes performers ranging from Bono to Van Dyke Parks.
- The Harry Smith Project: Anthology of American Folk Music Revisited. Recorded at Hal Willner's Harry Smith Project events in London, Brooklyn and LA, plus a DVD documentary.
- ' is a compilation album of sea shanties and the follow-up to 2006's Rogue's Gallery.
Themed concerts produced by Hal Willner
- Greetings from Tim Buckley
- Nevermore: Poems & Stories of Edgar Allan Poe, which led to the album Closed on Account of Rabies, then Hal Willner's Halloween Show: Never Bet the Devil your Head, then Closed on Account of Rabies: Poems and Tales of Edgar Allan Poe
- Tribute to Allen Ginsberg
- Marquis de Sade's writings
- The Harry Smith Project
- The Doc Pomus Project
- Came So Far for Beauty, An Evening of Songs by Leonard Cohen
- Dream Comfort Memory Despair: The Songs of Neil Young, followed by Hal Willner's Neil Young Project
- Perfect Partners: Nino Rota & Federico Fellini
- Shock and Awe: The Songs of Randy Newman
- Let's Eat: Feasting on The Firesign Theatre
- Forest of No Return: Hal Willner Presents Vintage Disney Songbook, followed by Stay Awake: 20th anniversary of the classic recording of Disney songs
- Rogue's Gallery
- Hal Willner's Bill Withers Project
- Begats: Readings of the Work of Burroughs, DeSade & Poe
- Gotta Right to Sing the Blues? Music and Readings from A Fine Romance, Jewish Songwriters, American Songs
- An Evening with Gavin Friday and Friends
- Hal Willner's Freedom Riders Project
- Shelebration: The Works of Shel Silverstein
- Hal Willner’s Amarcord Nino Rota
- The Bells: A Day Long Celebration of Lou Reed
- 'Tomorrow Is A Long Time: Songs from Bob Dylan's 1963 Town Hall Concert'
Spoken word recordings
- Dead City Radio by William Burroughs has musical backing by Sonic Youth, Donald Fagen, John Cale and others.
- Spare Ass Annie and Other Tales by William Burroughs with music by The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy.
- The Lion for Real by Allen Ginsberg features musical accompaniment by Bill Frisell, Philip Glass, Paul McCartney and others.
- Closed on Account of Rabies consists of readings of Edgar Allan Poe poems and tales by Iggy Pop and others. As Willner's only "spoken word" tribute album, it fits in the context of his other music-based tributes.
- In with the Out Crowd by poet Bob Holman.
- Let the Buyer Beware is an authoritative six CD box set of historic recordings by the comedian Lenny Bruce.
Film-related projects
- The Carl Stalling Project: Two CDs of music composed and/or arranged by Carl Stalling for Warner Brothers cartoons. The first CD was released in 1990; "Volume 2" was released in 1995.
- The soundtracks to Robert Altman's films Short Cuts and Kansas City.
- Music Supervisor or Producer for The Million Dollar Hotel, Finding Forester, Gangs of New York, Talladega Nights, and others.