Hal Willner, Nino Rota & Beyond

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 Monk, Charles Mingus, Allen Ginsberg and vintage Disney movies)

Two hours of aural fantasy.

Happy listening!

Playlist

• Ben Allison "Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" from Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill) (self-released) 0:00
• Jaki Byard "Amarcord" from Amarcord Nino Rota (Hannibal) 0:17
• Host talks 8:03
• Interview with Hal Willner 10:04
• Nino Rota "Tema Di Gitone (Giton's Theme)" from Satyricon (Fellini Satyricon) (United Artists) 10:40
• Interview with Hal Willner 11:15
• Host talks 11:47
• Interview with Hal Willner 13:17
• Jaki Byard "La strada" from Amarcord Nino Rota (Hannibal) 14:08
• Host talks 17:17
• Interview with Hal Willner 18:44
• William Fisher, Wynton Marsalis, George Adams, Branford Marsalis, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Wilbert Fletcher "Medley: The White Sheik, I Vitelloni, Il Bidone, The Nights of Cabiria" from Amarcord Nino Rota (Hannibal) 20:38
• Host talks 29:24
• Interview with Hal Willner 31:00
• Dave Samuels "Themes from La Dolce Vita and Juliet of the Spirits" from Amarcord Nino Rota (Hannibal) 31:30
• Interview with Hal Willner 33:50
• Various Artists "La Dolce Vita Suite" from Amarcord Nino Rota (Hannibal) 34:50
• Host talks 42:10
• Interview with Hal Willner 44:03
• Carla Bley "8 1/2" from Amarcord Nino Rota (Hannibal) 44:30
• Interview with Hal Willner 56:03
• Bill Frisell "Juliet of the Spirits" from Amarcord Nino Rota (Hannibal) 56:47
• Host talks 1:01:25
• Interview with Hal Willner 1:03:30
• Steve Lacy "Roma" from Amarcord Nino Rota (Hannibal) 1:04:23
• Host talks 1:08:58
• Interview with Hal Willner 1:10:30
• Allen Ginsberg "Hum Bom!" from The Lion for Real (Mercury) 1:12:05
• Interview with Hal Willner 1:16:05
• Was (Not Was) "Be-Lue-Bolivar-Ba-Lues-Are" from That's the Way I Feel Now -A Tribute to Thelonious Monk (A&M) 1:16:32
• Interview with Hal Willner 1:18:31
• Marianne Faithfull "Ballad of the Soldier's Wife" from Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill (A&M) 1:18:37
• Interview with Hal Willner 1:22:58
• Sun Ra "Pink Elephants on Parade" from Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films (A&M) 1:23:28
• Interview with Hal Willner 1:28:15
• Host talks 1:28:51
• Greg Cohen, Vernon Reid, Geri Allen, Don Byron, Don Alias, Michael Blair, Francis Thumm, Bill Frisell, Art Baron "Work song" from Weird Nightmare -Meditations on Mingus (Columbia) 1:32:34
• Hal Willner, Bill Frisell, Don Byron, Art Baron, Don Alias, Greg Cohen, Michael Blair, Francis Thumm "Self-portrait In Three Colors" from Weird Nightmare -Meditations on Mingus (Columbia) 1:39:28
• Hal Willner, Bill Frisell, Don Byron, Art Baron, Don Alias, Greg Cohen, Michael Blair, Francis Thumm, Henry Rollins "Purple Hart" from Weird Nightmare -Meditations on Mingus (Columbia) 1:43:59
• Charlie Watts, Greg Cohen & The Uptown Horns (Crispin Cioe, Bob Funk, Arno Hecht, Hollywood Paul Litteral) "Tonight at Noon" from Weird Nightmare -Meditations on Mingus (Columbia) 1:46:37
• Michael Blair, Bill Frisell, Don Alias, Greg Cohen, Art Baron, Chuck D "Gunsling Bird" from Weird Nightmare -Meditations on Mingus (Columbia) 1:52:45
• Bill Frisell "Weird Nightmare Interlude" from Weird Nightmare -Meditations on Mingus (Columbia) 1:54:00
• Hal Willner, Bill Frisell, Don Byron, Don Alias, Greg Cohen, Michael Blair, Gary Lucas "Reincarnation of a Love Bird/Haitian Fight Song Montage" from Weird Nightmare -Meditations on Mingus (Columbia) 1:55:00