Jack Towers
Encyclopedia
Jack Towers was in charge of radio broadcasting at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1952–1974 and became a noted remastering
engineer
of musical recordings after his retirement.
, South Dakota
in the United States
.
After graduating from South Dakota State College, he became a cooperative extension service
worker at the South Dakota State College extension. He moved to Washington in 1941 to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, served in the Army from 1942 to 1946, and then returned to the USDA.
Towers was in charge of radio broadcasting at the USDA from 1952–1974 where he developed agriculture-related programs for broadcast on American radio networks. He retired from the USDA in 1974 and what had been a hobby of remastering rare recordings, primarily of jazz groups, became a second career. He used techniques such as manually scraping imperfections such as pops and hisses from reel-to-reel tapes with an X-Acto
knife.
He lived in Hyattsville
, Maryland
and, from 1991, in Ashton
until he died at age 96 in 2010 in nearby Rockville
from Parkinson's disease. He was survived by his wife of 70 years, Rhoda Sime Towers, and two daughters and was predeceased by a son.
His first notable work was when, as young extension service employee, he and fellow jazz aficionado Richard Burris made an amateur live recording of Duke Ellington and His Orchestra at a concert in Fargo, North Dakota
in 1940. Towers saw Ellington
live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
, and, when Burris learned Ellington would be in Fargo in 1940, he asked the William Morris Agency
, Ellington's agent, for permission to record the session. Permission was granted to the two provided they receive permission from Ellington and the venue's manager before the show. Towers recounted to the Washington Post that, "We had a disc recorder that the extension service used for recording farm programs for agricultural colleges. It was advanced equipment — up to snuff".
The recording was not officially released but circulated in bootleg
form from the 1960s. In the 1970s, Towers made a reproduction of the recording from areas of the groove that were less worn. In 1978, Towers' master of Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live
was finally officially released by Book-of-the-Month Records as a Book-of-the-Month Club selection. Towers later said, "When Dick and I recorded this Fargo performance, we did it just for the excitement and pleasure of it all. We had no idea that people all over the world would be listening to it 60 years later."
In 1980, At Fargo won the Grammy Award
for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band at the 22nd Grammy Awards. The original acetate disks of this recording have since been donated to the Archives Center of the Smithsonian Institution
's National Museum of American History
.
In the late 1980s and 1990s, Towers restored recordings such as The Complete Dean Benedetti Recordings of Charlie Parker, a series of Parker
made by fellow saxophonist Dean Benedetti
in 1947 and 1948 released on Mosaic Records
. Towers also remastered works by Count Basie
, Benny Goodman
, Glenn Miller
and other notable jazz performers.
Following Towers' death, Patricia Willard, a former jazz consultant to the Library of Congress
said, "It was amazing to watch him. What Jack achieved in sound restoration was beyond what anybody did before and, I think, since."
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
of musical recordings after his retirement.
Biography
Jack Howard Towers was born in BradleyBradley, South Dakota
Bradley is a town in Clark County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 72 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Bradley is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
After graduating from South Dakota State College, he became a cooperative extension service
Cooperative extension service
The Cooperative Extension Service, also known as the Extension Service of the USDA, is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant...
worker at the South Dakota State College extension. He moved to Washington in 1941 to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, served in the Army from 1942 to 1946, and then returned to the USDA.
Towers was in charge of radio broadcasting at the USDA from 1952–1974 where he developed agriculture-related programs for broadcast on American radio networks. He retired from the USDA in 1974 and what had been a hobby of remastering rare recordings, primarily of jazz groups, became a second career. He used techniques such as manually scraping imperfections such as pops and hisses from reel-to-reel tapes with an X-Acto
X-acto
X-Acto is a brand name for a variety of cutting tools and office products owned by Elmer's Products, Inc. Cutting tools include hobby and utility knives, saws, carving tools and many small-scale precision knives used for crafts and other applications....
knife.
He lived in Hyattsville
Hyattsville, Maryland
Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,557 at the 2000 census.- History :The city was named for its founder, Christopher Clark Hyatt. He purchased his first parcel of land in the area in March 1845...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and, from 1991, in Ashton
Ashton, Maryland
Ashton is an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland. The commercial center of Ashton lies at the junction of Route 108 and New Hampshire Avenue ....
until he died at age 96 in 2010 in nearby Rockville
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
from Parkinson's disease. He was survived by his wife of 70 years, Rhoda Sime Towers, and two daughters and was predeceased by a son.
Musical work
Towers has been called an "audio magician" for his restoring, remastering, and producing of vintage jazz recordings.His first notable work was when, as young extension service employee, he and fellow jazz aficionado Richard Burris made an amateur live recording of Duke Ellington and His Orchestra at a concert in Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
in 1940. Towers saw Ellington
live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...
, and, when Burris learned Ellington would be in Fargo in 1940, he asked the William Morris Agency
William Morris Agency
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
, Ellington's agent, for permission to record the session. Permission was granted to the two provided they receive permission from Ellington and the venue's manager before the show. Towers recounted to the Washington Post that, "We had a disc recorder that the extension service used for recording farm programs for agricultural colleges. It was advanced equipment — up to snuff".
The recording was not officially released but circulated in bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
form from the 1960s. In the 1970s, Towers made a reproduction of the recording from areas of the groove that were less worn. In 1978, Towers' master of Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live
Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live
Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live is a 1978 release by American jazz band Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra of a 1940 recording of the band performing live at a dance in Fargo, North Dakota in the United States...
was finally officially released by Book-of-the-Month Records as a Book-of-the-Month Club selection. Towers later said, "When Dick and I recorded this Fargo performance, we did it just for the excitement and pleasure of it all. We had no idea that people all over the world would be listening to it 60 years later."
In 1980, At Fargo won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band at the 22nd Grammy Awards. The original acetate disks of this recording have since been donated to the Archives Center of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...
.
In the late 1980s and 1990s, Towers restored recordings such as The Complete Dean Benedetti Recordings of Charlie Parker, a series of Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
made by fellow saxophonist Dean Benedetti
Dean Benedetti
Dean Benedetti was a saxophone player best known for his recordings of fellow saxophonist Charlie Parker. As a tenor saxophonist and band leader in California, Benedetti first heard a record of Parker in the Spring of 1945...
in 1947 and 1948 released on Mosaic Records
Mosaic Records
Mosaic Records is an American specialist jazz record label, founded in 1983 by Michael Cuscuna and Charlie Lourie to issue coherent limited edition box sets of jazz recordings by individual musicians, which had fallen out-of-print...
. Towers also remastered works by Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
, Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
, Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
and other notable jazz performers.
Following Towers' death, Patricia Willard, a former jazz consultant to the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
said, "It was amazing to watch him. What Jack achieved in sound restoration was beyond what anybody did before and, I think, since."
External links
- "Jack Towers on Restoring his Award-Winning Duke Ellington Recording, in 1980". Audio Interview at NPR.org. (08:54) Retrieved 1 January 2011.