Tom Dowd & the Language Of Music profiles the extraordinary life and legendary work of music producer/recording engineer Tom Dowd. Historical footage, vintage photographs and interviews with a who’s who list of musical giants from the worlds of jazz, soul and classic rock shine a spotlight on the brilliance of Tom Dowd, whose creative spirit and passion for innovative technology helped shape. Tom Dowd & The Language of Music Production: A Language of Music Films production. Produced by Mark Moormann, Scott Gordon, Mark Hunt. Executive producer, Juan Carlos Lopez. Directed by Mark Moormann.
If ever the saga of a behind-the-scenes figure in popular culture was worthy of exploration, it is the story of Tom Dowd. The Language of Music (2003) tells the tale of a man who was generally unknown to the public at large, yet worked on assignments as diverse as providing key contributions to the infamous Manhattan Project to revolutionizing popular music. R&B, jazz, pop, and rock enthusiasts have undoubtedly glossed over his name numerous times while scanning the liner notes of their favorite long-players. The many artists he produced or engineered range from Thelonious Monk to Lynyrd Skynyrd. Mark Moormann -- producer and director of The Language of Music -- entwines a primarily chronological first-person narrative of Dowd's entire life with highlights from throughout his pop music career. He is joined by a literal music industry who's-who from the latter half of the 20th century. The list of luminaries include: Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Allman Brothers Band members Dickey Betts, Gregg Allman, Butch Trucks, Les Paul, Aretha Franklin, and Joe Bonamassa. Plus, peers and cohorts Ahmet Ertegun, Phil Ramone, Mike Stoller, Arif Mardin, Al Schmitt, and Jerry Wexler. Besides hearing plenty of stories from the past, Moormann actively pursues Dowd at work and at play. Even well into his mid-seventies, Dowd sought out fresh talents and continued his interaction with old favorites. There are several telling moments in understanding Dowd's empathy and unity with the musicians -- visiting an unsuspecting Ray Charles backstage at one of his late-'90s performances, working with relative newcomer Joe Bonamassa. and even attending a live gig by the re-formation of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Equally as engaging is being privy to the man 'on the job' -- as he was active at Criteria Studios in Miami until shortly before his passing in October of 2002. As a motif, Derek & the Dominos' rock anthem 'Layla' plays a significant part as a bookend for The Language of Music. Dowd sits down at the piano used by Bobby Whitlock to create the song's memorable ending to discuss the ragged but right instrument's import. Near the end, he works the mixing console to remix the song in real time -- pulling apart Clapton and Duane Allman's otherwise inexorably intertwined fretwork as they, in his words, 'play notes that aren't even on the instrument.' The irony being, they would not have been playing together at all, had there been no Tom Dowd.
Tom Dowd And The Language Of Music
I just saw a great movie via Netflix (DVD, not streaming!) It’s called Tom Dowd and the Language of Music. It’s a really interesting biography of legendary producer Tom Dowd. Tom worked with a who’s who of classic artists from every genre – Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane, The Allman Brothers Band, Derek and the Dominos…the list goes on and on. He produced and engineered some of the most seminal records of the 20th century. I really enjoyed the movie because it showed the many sides of Tom and gave some great insight into how he became such a legend.
In Tom’s early life, he was an intelligent student studying science in New York City and working at one of the universities there. When he turned 18 during World War II, he was drafted and immediately sent back to New York to continue his work on what would ultimately become the Manhattan Project. Tom’s physics and math training would later prove to be essential in his career as a music producer and recording engineer. This is one of the reasons I love making music – it’s a great fusion of science and art. You need some of each to make a record; Tom Dowd had tons of both!
Tom Dowd And The Language Of Music Documentary
In one of the many interviews, Tom mentions how important it was for him to work with blind performers, including Ray Charles. These musicians taught Tom that it truly was “all about the sound” – if it doesn’t sound good, it’s not good! We need to remember that no matter how many fancy graphs and curves are in our digital audio workstation (DAW), the sound of the song is the most (and only) important thing. Granted, those graphs are great tools to help us get the song sounding good, but the sound is the ultimate goal.
I was fascinated to learn that Tom Dowd built many of his own recording consoles, and actually invented the concept of linear sliding volume faders. On an eight track console, Tom realized that linear faders would allow him to control all eight tracks simultaneously, unlike the rotary knobs that were used at the time. This concept is so ingrained in the world of music production that today’s DAWs all still use linear faders. This is just one example of the many contributions Tom Dowd made to the recording industry.
Many musicians were interviewed for the movie, and they all talked about Tom’s uncanny ability to act as a coach and mentor to them. He was a politician and counsellor as well as a musician and a scientist. He knew how to bring out the best in the musicians that he produced. For those of us making music at home by ourselves, this relationship is one that we aren’t able to take advantage of (for better or worse). In the self-produced bedroom studio environment, we need to remember to step away from our songs and listen to them objectively, with a critical ear from the listener’s perspective.
Tom Dowd
Another great part of the DVD was the inclusion of several “extra” interviews. One of the best was with Les Paul – he shows us “the log”, the first electric guitar that he built, as well as his first recording console. Les also tells the story of how Leo Fender asked Les to work for Fender; Les stuck with Gibson but explained that Gibson electric guitars would have never taken off if not for Fender’s success with solid body electrics. Pretty cool!
If you get a chance to check out this movie, I highly recommend it. It was a really enjoyable look at the life of a man who has likely inspired (in some way) anybody who may be reading this blog through his professionalism and genius. Enjoy!