ROW FILE... (reprint from Music Row Magazine) We all watched this summer as athletes and notable individuals carried the Olympic torch clear across America. Tommy Dorsey carries a torch, too. As a mastering engineer, you might say that he is an Olympian; one of the newest to be chosen to carry the flame to the point where the games begin. Like the athletic games, it takes a person with special ears to attain the level of proficiency neccessary to join the select few engineers at one of Nashville's -- actually, the country's -- best mastering labs. Tommy Dorsey played the organ when he was young, and that instrument "had a whole palette of sounds," that he could use, he says, "and all of those sounds got me interested. And then synthesizers came along and I played in all different kinds of bands. With the synthesizer, I was sculpting, creating the way things sounded." Thence was born a lifelong fascination: What makes things sound the way they sound? Having multiform abilities, Dorsey made a living in the Nashville music industry. He entertained, played on recording sessions, worked for production companies, became an engineer. He was a Fairlite programmer, and a bandleader. Yes, Tommy Dorsey, Bandleader. Okay, so he's not that Tommy Dorsey (he good-naturedly rolls his eyes at that proclamation). Dorsey spent much of his career freelancing, and a number of years working at The Castle. "So many different kinds of artists came through there; such a diverse range of music. I engineered, played, met a lot of fascinating musicians and learned from them. It was a constant opportunity. That has really helped me here. People come in with different projects, different needs. They may need vinyl cut, or a cassette single, or a CD compilation. There are always new challenges. Its exciting." Dorsey joined Masterfonics three years ago as part of the mastering support team, and is quick to give credit to his mentors. "A good bit of what I've learned has been through trial and error, and other things I've had taught to me. I've been very fortunate to have the benefit of a couple of masters." He seem tailor-made for the job he has now, as he's mastered a wide range of projects including Bananarama, Shooter Jennings' industrial project, some jazz for Disney, "a heavy metal thing," and most recently, an orchestral Christmas record. And country, of course. Working at the apex of the recording industry, I had to to ask if he sees any trends. "Styles are crossing over boundaries and boundaries are becoming less defined." Besides technically tuned and manifold ears, what does it take to be a mastering engineer? "So much of it is helping the client see their vision. Helping them reach that final stage and be on target when it comes down. It's all about listening. Listening to the client, to the artist, to the voice; listening to what it is that is trying to happen. We help maintain whatever that magic is...trying to elevate the artist's expression to its fullest...I continue to carry that torch on through to the end." There. He said it himself. And he has another flame that's burning brightly now. He's a newlywed. - Charlene A Blevins