Renowned Jazz Record Restorer Davies Dies

06/13/2004 7:19 AM, 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.