[Dixielandjazz] John R. T. Davies--record restorer--dies

[Norman Vickers]

This definitely fits the OKOM category.  FYI.

Norman Vickers
________________________________________________________

Renowned Jazz Record Restorer Davies Dies

.c The Associated Press

LONDON (AP) - John R.T. Davies, one of the world's top restorers of old
jazz records, has died, his family said. He was 77.

Davies succumbed to cancer on May 25 at his home in Burnham, in
Buckinghamshire, northwest of London, his wife Sue announced on Davies' Web
site.

Davies, a musician who also gained fame as a member of the 1960s band the
Temperance Seven, was one of the foremost experts on remastering classic
jazz recordings, mostly from the 1920s to 1950s.

He had an enormous record collection and was known for using temperamental
old equipment for his careful, precise work. His goal, colleague Tony
Russell wrote in The Guardian newspaper, was to get worn, damaged
recordings sounding as much as possible like the musicians who made them
had intended.

Sometimes he could even improve upon deficiencies caused by poor recording
equipment, Russell wrote.

He restored recordings by artists including greats such as Bessie Smith,
Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway, generally working for small specialty
labels.

Davies is survived by his wife, a daughter and three grandchildren.