Tom Dowd & the Language of Music (2003)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Mark Moormann

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

A documentary about Tom Dowd, who was an innovative recording engineer and producer of noted albums with John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Otis Redding, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers and many others.

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Ginger Baker	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ray Charles	...	Himself
Eric Clapton	...	Himself
Ornette Coleman	...	Himself
John Coltrane	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bobby Darin	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tom Dowd	...	Himself
Ahmet Ertegun	...	Himself
Aretha Franklin	...	Herself
Thelonious Monk	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tito Puente	...	Himself (archive footage)
Phil Ramone	...	Himself
Otis Redding	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mike Stoller	...	Himself

Runtime:

82 min | Canada:90 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Criteria Recording Studios - 1755 NE 149th Street, Miami, Florida, USA

Company:

Language of Music Films

How to Make a Documentary About Tom Dowd

Although he was well-known in the recording industry, Tom Dowd's obituary rated only 712 words in The New York Times, and not much more than that in Rolling Stone Magazine, although Rolling Stone published a picture with it.

Few people outside the recording industry know much about what is shown in this documentary. However, Dowd's impact on the industry affected millions of fans of Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers, John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, Tito Puente, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, and Phil Ramone. All of those artists appear in this documentary.

Dowd also recorded a host of others. The discography on the documentary's website, www.thelanguageofmusic.com, is huge.

In February, 2002, Dowd received a Grammy for his services to the recording industry. Eric Clapton said Dowd had encouraged him to realize "what my skills were." This documentary is supposed to fix the problem of Dowd's relative obscurity. Everyone who worked on it had the best of intentions. Dowd's smiling face and buoyant disposition are amiably represented. But in the end, the documentary leaves out a lot of interesting stuff, in order to keep the audience from getting bored. Also, the rhythm is off. Time and place seem to shift out from under the viewer.

Don't get me wrong, this is a documentary well worth watching. The music is GREAT! Just be prepared, after it's over, to want more.