[Dixielandjazz] John RT Davies

[Bill Haesler]

Dear friends,
The loss yesterday of my friend, discographer, record restoration wizard,
musician and jazz authority is also a sad loss to jazz and the jazz record
industry.
Our thoughts are with his wife Sue at this sad time.
Although I started corresponding with John in the late 1940s and traded 78s
with him, I only met him on the too few occasions when he came to Australia
or we were in London. Plus the occasional phone call and letters.
I still have some of his early acetates and a few letters in his mini-type
face typewriter with its distinctive green ink ribbon.
In the 1940s, thanks to John RT, some of us (including me mate Tony
Standish) had early copies of rare Bunk Johnson, Jelly Roll Morton Library
of Congress sides and unissued Crane River Jazz Band and Temperance Seven
record sessions.
Whenever we met it was instant rapport. Talk, talk, talk about alternate
masters, rare labels and who-played-on-what obscure jazz classic. Was that
Johnny Dodds or Jimmy O'Bryant on that Ida Cox Paramount? You know what I
mean. We never tired of it. We never stopped and were at it again when I
last saw John at his home several years back.
>From our frequent correspondence and because of John's high jazz profile, I
had always assumed that he was about 10 years older then me - at least. When
one day he revealed that he was born on 20 March 1927, I realised that he
was only 4 years older than me. Which meant, that when I first came into
contact with him, I was 17 and he was only 21! A remarkable young man for
his time indeed.
And lovable with it. A person who never stopped helping others. Always ready
to help, as Brian Towers has already mentioned.
Jazz Jerry has also indicated that it would be impossible to catalogue all
of the records John RT has lovingly restored and remastered, world-wide,
over nearly 60 years. It would be literally thousands of sides for hundreds
of reissue labels!
Subscribers to the English discographal magazine 'Storyville' will also know
of John's ground breaking work in this important jazz field over many years.
Through my continued association as a cover note writer and discographal
consultant for Australia's Swaggie Records since the mid 1950s, particularly
with the 7" 33 1/3 'Jazz Collector' series and subsequent 12" LP and CD
reissues, I got to know John a lot better. In 1980 Swaggie owner Nevill
Sherburn commenced the long-running 'Vintage Jazz Archive' 12" LP series,
for which John RT did nearly all of the remastering, in many instances
providing rare 78 source records from his own extensive collection. It was a
happy collaboration.
It was from Nevill last week that I heard that John was on the way out. Cut
down by cancer. Unfair.
Jazz, internationally, will mourn the loss of this great and gentle man.
I have lost a long-time friend.
Very kind regards,
Bill.