ABOUT

Extraordinary music makes for unforgettable cinema. Think of the way that Miles Davis’ improvised soundtrack made Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows an iconic masterpiece, or how more recently Antonio Sanchez’s dynamic trap set enriched Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Academy Award winner Birdman. Our artist roster features brilliant and singular musicians and composers responsible for music featured in many acclaimed films in the past two decades, including guitar genius Bill Frisell (The Great Flood, Finding Forrester, Psycho, Walk the Line, films by Bill Morrison) and the acclaimed jazz chamber group Tin Hat and its co-founder Mark Orton (Nebraska, My Old Lady, Everything Is Illuminated, The Good Girl). In a world awash with generic tunes nothing sets a film apart faster than a memorable score.

Our music library is composed of select tracks from the catalogues of the artists we are proud to represent. The music is organized in categories by artist, tempo, mood, and other criteria to facilitate your search for the perfect piece(s) of music to enhance your visual and dramatic creations.

For all of these tracks, we are in a position to provide synchronization rights on behalf of the composers and publishers, and in many cases also the master rights. When necessary, we will facilitate master clearances with the record companies.

Music by our clients has been used in both feature films and documentaries by such inventive and iconoclastic directors as Gus Van Sant, Ken Burns, Fernando Mereilles, Alexander Payne, James Mangold, Bill Morrison, and Rory Kennedy. We have also licensed music to choreographers and dance companies, including Pilobolus, Donald Byrd, Mark Dendy, Bebe Miller, Frankfurt Ballett, ODC/Dance, Bandaloop, Ballet Austin, and Milwaukee Ballet.

HANS WENDL

A longtime Bay Area resident now living in Bishop in eastern California, Hans Wendl has had a five decade career in music, serving musicians in a wide range of capacities from record production and concert booking to management, publishing administration, and licensing.  He began his career in the 1970s with ECM Records in his hometown of Munich and worked for the renowned German label until relocating to California in 1986. Since then, he has been active as an independent producer, label director for Gramavision/Rykodisc, artist manager, booking agent, and consultant for a distinguished list of musicians.

Hans Wendl has worked with Grammy Winners Bill Frisell and Dafnis Prieto as well as other jazz luminaries Charlie Haden, Don Byron, the late Ron Miles, Myra Melford, Yosvany Terry, and Edward Simon. In his early years he managed tours for Keith Jarrett.  He has produced over 50 records with artists such as Charlie Haden, Don Byron, Bill Frisell, Ravi Shankar, Peter Apfelbaum, Medeski Martin & Wood, Ron Miles, and Tin Hat Trio, receiving numerous international prizes, including five Grammy nominations and a Grammy Award for Ravi Shankar’s “Full Circle Carnegie Hall 2000.” His interests and expertise are wide ranging and embrace music from all over the world with a particular focus on jazz and film music. 

He retired from management and booking during the Covid pandemic to focus on his music licensing business, www.hanswendl.com, featuring guitarist Bill Frisell and film composers Mark Orton and Alessandro Stefana, among others.

Hans Wendl’s Producer Discography

Sarah Wilson Kaleidoscope (Brass Tonic Records, 2021)
John Schott Actual Trio Act II (Smash the State!, 2018)
Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom Otis Was a Polar Bear (Royal Potato Family, 2016)
John Schott Actual Trio (Tzadik, 2015)
Myra Melford Snowy Egret (Enja/Yellowbird, 2015)
Ron Miles with Bill Frisell and Brian Blade Circuit Rider (Enja/Yellowbird, 2014)
Ron Miles with Bill Frisell and Brian Blade Quiver (Enja/Yellowbird 2012)
Don Byron New Gospel Quintet Love, Peace, and Soul (Savoy Jazz, 2012)
Don Byron Do the Boomerang: The Music of Junior Walker (Blue Note, 2006)
Todd Sickafoose Blood Orange (Secret Hatch, 2006)
Peter Apfelbaum & the NY Hieroglyphics  It Is Written (ACT, 2005)
Beth Custer My Grandmother- Soundtrack (BC Records, 2005)
Don Byron Ivey-Divey (Blue Note, 2004) N, T
Tin Hat Trio Book of Silk (Ropeadope,  2004)
Faun Fables/Dawn McCarthy Early Song (Drag City, 2004)
Tin Hat Trio  The Rodeo Eroded (Ropeadope, 2002)
Don Byron You Are #6  (Blue Note, 2001)
Anoushka Shankar Live at Carnegie Hall (EMI/Angel, 2001) N
Ravi Shankar Full Circle – Carnegie Hall 2000 (EMI/Angel, 2001) G
Don Byron A Fine Line: Arias and Lieder (Blue Note, 2000)
Tin Hat Trio Helium (EMI/Angel, 2000)
Don Byron Romance With The Unseen (Blue Note, 1999)
Vinicius Cantuária Tucuma (Verve, 1999)
Tin Hat Trio Memory Is An Elephant (EMI/Angel, 1999)
Ron Miles Woman’s Day (Gramavision, 1997)
Peter Apfelbaum Luminous Charms (Gramavision, 1996)
Bill Frisell/Kermit Driscoll/Joey Baron Live (Gramavision, 1995)
Don Byron Music for Six Musicians (Nonesuch, 1995)
Charlie Haden Quartet West Always Say Goodbye (Verve, 1994) N *
Don Byron Don Byron Plays the Music of Mickey Katz (Nonesuch, 1993)
Kamikaze Ground Crew Madam Marie’s Temple of Knowledge (New World, 1993)
Charlie Haden Quartet West Haunted Heart (Verve, 1992) N **
Peter Apfelbaum & The Hieroglyphics Ensemble Jodoji Brightness (Antilles, 1992)
New York Composers Orchestra First Program in Standard Time (New World, 1992)
Music of Norway (Various Artists) Nordisk Sang (New Albion, 1991)
Charlie Haden & The Liberation Music Orchestra Dream Keeper (Verve, 1991) N ***
Peter Apfelbaum & The Hieroglyphics Ensemble Signs of Life (Antilles, 1991) N
Charlie Haden Quartet West In Angel City (Verve, 1988)
Charlie Haden Quartet West (Verve, 1987)
The Everyman Band Without Warning (ECM, 1984)
Gary Burton Quartet Picture This (ECM, 1982)

As Rykodisc/Gramavision Label Director and Executive Producer (1995-97):

Vinicius Cantuária  Sol Na Cara
Arto Lindsay Remixes Hyper Civilizado
Medeski Martin and Wood Shack-man
Medeski Martin and Wood Bubblehouse (Remixes)
Ron Miles Woman’s Day
Ron Miles My Cruel Heart
Clusone Trio Love Henry
Clusone Trio I Am An Indian
Myra Melford The Same River, Twice
Peter Apfelbaum Luminous Charms
Oranj Symphonette Plays Mancini
Bill Frisell/Kermit Driscoll/Joey Baron Live

FILM SOUNDTRACKS:

White: A Memoir in Color (2012)
Music by Don Byron. Directed by Joel Katz.

My Grandmother (BC Records, 2004)
Music by Beth Custer. Directed by Kote Mikaberidze.

Strange Fruit  (PBS, 2002)
Music by Don Byron. Directed by Joel Katz.

Walk Don’t Walk  (ZDF/Arte TV, Germany/France, 2001)
Music by Don Byron. Directed by Thomas Struck.

PRINTED MUSIC:

Dave Douglas Collection Scores and Solos (Cherry Lane/Hal Leonard, 2005)
Bill Frisell An Anthology (Cherry Lane/Hal Leonard, 2001)

AWARDS:

G: Grammy Award Winner (Best World Music Album)
N: Grammy nominated
T: Album of the Year, Jazz Times Magazine Critics Poll 2004
*: Jazz Album of the Year-Down Beat Critics& Readers Polls 1994;
German Record Critics Award
**: Time Magazine “Ten Best Albums of 1992”; Academie Du Jazz “Oscar” (France),
German Record Critics Award
***: Jazz Album of the Year – Down Beat Critics Poll 1992;
“Bronze Disc Award”- Swing Journal (Japan)