[Slowhand] Tom Dowd: A loving tribute to a master of the mixing board

[Andrea Preston]

Movie Review: A loving tribute to a master of the mixing board
***½
"Tom Dowd", a documentary directed by Mark Moormann. 90 minutes. Not rated, 
suitable for mature audiences.

By Ted Fry
Special to The Seattle Times

Producer and engineer Tom Dowd worked with greats including Eric Clapton and 
Ray Charles.

If legendary pop-music producer and engineer Tom Dowd had the same knack for 
composition as he had for manufacturing brilliant music from behind a studio 
mixing board, he might have become as well known as Quincy Jones.

As it is, this gregarious genius of the record business remained merely a 
behind-the-scenes hero to industry honchos and artists that ranged decades 
and included top names — from Ray Charles, John Coltrane and Aretha Franklin 
to Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers Band.

Filmmaker Mark Moormann guides this affable and hugely entertaining 
biography with a confident visual style. He spices up the chronological tale 
with lovely interview segments (presumably documented shortly before Dowd's 
death in late 2002), some terrific vintage footage of Dowd's work in the 
studio, the familiar Ken Burns-ish use of pan-and-scan still photos and a 
few re-created period events.

Atlantic Records founders Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler are among the many 
who appear as part of the Tom Dowd fan club. They remember his tremendous 
technical savvy and gift for finding hit music.

Dowd faithfully captured pop renderings from the Coasters, the Drifters, 
Bobby Darin and the like by day, then stayed up all night securing the 
one-take brilliance of innovators such as Thelonius Monk, Ornette Coleman 
and Charles Mingus.

A gracious and articulate Eric Clapton gives Dowd credit that's practically 
equal to the musicians' for providing the music of Cream and Derek and the 
Dominos its classic status. In one cross-cut sequence, Clapton and Dowd 
recall how Duane Allman came to be a part of the classic guitar segment of 
"Layla," which Dowd then deconstructs for us in a live remix. With expert 
hands flying across a mixing board ("They played notes that weren't even on 
the instruments!") he brims with the joy that obviously flooded through 
everyone he encountered across his storied career.

One of the most poignant moments comes when Dowd makes a surprise appearance 
during an interview with his old friend Ray Charles. With fondness and awe 
flowing both ways, Charles sums up the legacy of Dowd's authoritative impact 
by remembering a rhetorical question he once asked during a session, "What 
does it sound like, baby?" Even though Charles didn't need an answer, he 
probably got the same one that was there on Dowd's merry face — a gentle nod 
and great big grin.

Ted Fry: tedfry at earthlink.net

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