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Hal Willner

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Hal Willner (April 6, 1956 – April 7, 2020) was an American music producer working in recording, films, television, and live events.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was best known for assembling tribute albums and events featuring a wide variety of artists and musical styles (jazz, classical, rock, Tin Pan Alley). Willner died during the COVID-19 pandemic from complications brought on by the virus.

Early lifeEdit

Willner was born in Philadelphia in 1956. His father and uncle were Holocaust survivors.<ref name = NYT>Template:Cite news</ref> Willner moved to New York City in 1974 to attend New York University, but did not graduate.<ref name = NYT/>

CareerEdit

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,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and The Neville Brothers' Fiyo on the Bayou. In 1980, Willner became the sketch music producer of Saturday Night Live, where he chose the music to be used in sketches. Willner held this job until his death in 2020.<ref name = NYT/> From 1988 to 1990 he produced the TV program Sunday Night (later renamed Night Music), 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. In 1991, he produced a live tribute concert to Tim Buckley, a show that gave important exposure to Buckley's son Jeff 18 months before Jeff Buckley signed with a record label. In 1998, Willner released his only album as a featured artist, Whoops, I'm an Indian. The album mixed drum and bass and ambient music recordings with audio samples, including many sourced 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, Richard Strange, Gavin Friday, Anohni, Peter Garrett, Baby Gramps, David Thomas, Sarah Blasko, Katy Steele, Peaches, Glenn Richards, Liam Finn, Camille O'Sullivan, Kami Thompson, and Marry Waterson.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Willner married television producer Sheila Rogers. In November, 2004, their son Arlo was born.<ref name = NYT/>

DeathEdit

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.<ref name = NYT/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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".<ref>Jem Aswad, "‘Saturday Night Live’ Pays Loving Tribute to Longtime Sketch Music Maestro Hal Willner" Template:Webarchive. Variety, April 11, 2020.</ref>

ProductionsEdit

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Concept albums produced by Hal WillnerEdit

Themed concerts produced by Hal WillnerEdit

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> which led to the album Closed on Account of Rabies (1997), then Hal Willner's Halloween Show: Never Bet the Devil your Head (Los Angeles 2002), then Closed on Account of Rabies: Poems and Tales of Edgar Allan Poe (Los Angeles 2001)<ref name="theofficearts">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Tribute to Allen Ginsberg (Los Angeles)
  • Marquis de Sade's writings (New York 1998)
  • The Harry Smith Project (London 1999, Los Angeles 2001)
  • The Doc Pomus Project (New York City 2001)
  • Came So Far for Beauty, An Evening of Songs by Leonard Cohen (Brooklyn 2003, Brighton 2004, Sydney 2005, Dublin 2006)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Dream Comfort Memory Despair: The Songs of Neil Young (Brooklyn 2004), followed by Hal Willner's Neil Young Project (Vancouver 2010)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Perfect Partners: Nino Rota & Federico Fellini (London 2004)
  • Shock and Awe: The Songs of Randy Newman (Los Angeles 2004)
  • Let's Eat: Feasting on The Firesign Theatre (Los Angeles 2004)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
  • Forest of No Return: Hal Willner Presents Vintage Disney Songbook (London 2007), followed by Stay Awake: 20th anniversary of the classic recording of Disney songs (Brooklyn 2008)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> (Hal Willner's Stay Awake at UCLA was scheduled for October 30, 2008, but was cancelled due to unavailability of some performers)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • Rogue's Gallery (NYC 2007, Dublin 2008, London 2008, Gateshead 2008, Sydney 2010)
  • Hal Willner's Bill Withers Project (Brooklyn 2008)
  • Begats: Readings of the Work of Burroughs, DeSade & Poe (Brooklyn 2009)<ref>[2] Template:Webarchive</ref>
  • Gotta Right to Sing the Blues? Music and Readings from A Fine Romance, Jewish Songwriters, American Songs (NYC 2010)<ref name="theofficearts"/>
  • An Evening with Gavin Friday and Friends (New York, Carnegie Hall, 2009) <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Hal Willner's Freedom Riders Project (Brooklyn 2011)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Spoken word recordingsEdit

With the increasing prevalence of tribute albums in the late 1980s (such as Red Hot + Blue), Willner decided to turn his attention to spoken word recordings.

Film-related projectsEdit

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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