Summary: Trombonist J. Walter Hawkes, who now plays with Norah Jones, almost quit music. He was going to pursue a more regular-guy path in computer programming. But then a horrible accident changed his life path.
This is a short piece about a life-twist that turned J Walter Hawke around. He wasn't a good enough musician until an accident and eight months in a wheelchair gave him enough free time to do nothing but play music and get better.
This is a good piece with snappy editing and good music. But the style is of the "interview with just the interviewee's voice answering the questions" though it's pretty clear this was pre-written, practiced and carefully read (and it's listed on PRX as first-person-essay). To me, it sounds a bit strange this way.
I would have loved to hear more about his writing music for cartoons. I always thought the music in Tom and Jerry was so amazing.
For PD's, this is clearly something that would fit in a Jazz show where people might know of Hawkes, or at least Norah Jones, and it would probably work in a broader sense (musicians, accidents, things to do when you are temporarily in a wheelchair).
Comments for J Walter Hawkes
Produced by Lu Olkowski
Other pieces by Lu Olkowski
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1 comment
Hans Anderson
Posted on July 05, 2007 at 12:36 PM | Permalink
Review of J Walter Hawkes' Near Death Experience
This is a short piece about a life-twist that turned J Walter Hawke around. He wasn't a good enough musician until an accident and eight months in a wheelchair gave him enough free time to do nothing but play music and get better.
This is a good piece with snappy editing and good music. But the style is of the "interview with just the interviewee's voice answering the questions" though it's pretty clear this was pre-written, practiced and carefully read (and it's listed on PRX as first-person-essay). To me, it sounds a bit strange this way.
I would have loved to hear more about his writing music for cartoons. I always thought the music in Tom and Jerry was so amazing.
For PD's, this is clearly something that would fit in a Jazz show where people might know of Hawkes, or at least Norah Jones, and it would probably work in a broader sense (musicians, accidents, things to do when you are temporarily in a wheelchair).