News

Tom Dowd Documentary To Be Released On DVD

14 Aug 04

On 24 August 2004, filmmaker Mark Moorman’s 90 minute documentary, “Tom Dowd And The Language Of Music” will be released on DVD. It is currently playing in select movie theatres in the United States.

The independently produced film debuted at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and has been screened at festivals around the world since then. Seven years in the making, it profiles the life and work of a man whose career reflects the evolution of modern music and recording technology. The film takes the audience on a journey from Dowd?s early years in New York City, his work in physics on the Manhattan Project and his career-change to music recording. In his storied career, he produced and engineered numerous landmark recordings for artists as diverse as Cream, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Dizzy Gillespie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tito Puente, Jr., The Allman Brothers Band and Dusty Springfield.

Dowd’s story is told through the use of interviews with artists and record company executives, historical footage, photographs and music he recorded. The film opens with the Layla coda as Dowd enters Criteria Recording Studios in Miami. That studio is where Layla and numerous other classic tracks were recorded under Dowd’s direction.

Included is an August 1997 interview with Eric Clapton. In the film, Dowd revisits the recording of Derek & The Dominos’ masterpiece, “Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs”. Having secured the use of the original 24 track sub-master of “Layla”, Dowd takes viewers through the creation of this landmark song by isolating the guitar tracks of Duane Allman and Eric Clapton.

Tom Dowd died on 27 October 2002.