John Norris, founder of Coda, the jazz magazine, dies at age of 76

John Norris, the founder of Coda, Canada's best known and longest-running jazz magazine and co-founder, with Bill Smith, of Sackville Recordings, died on January 31 at the age of 76. 

Norris was widely known as a promoter and enthusiast for jazz in Toronto and elsewhere.  After emigrating from England and run clubs such as the Traditional Jazz Club of Toronto and the Galleon, he founded Coda in 1958. From 1962 through 1968, Norris also managed the jazz department of the Sam the Man Record Store in Toronto. Saxophonist Bill Smith became art director of the magazine in 1963 and co-editor from 1976-83.

In a “Statement of Policy,” published in 1962, Norris explained his vision for the magazine: “We will endeavor to comment, report and inform without fear or favor and always try to get to the truth of the matter.” Although the magazine emphasized Canadian artists, its range of coverage included jazz from all over the world.

From 1970 to 1983, Norris and Smith also ran the Jazz and Blues Centre, a specialty record shop on Dundas Street in Toronto. 

In 1968 Norris and Smith launched Sackville Recordings, a label dedicated to Canadian artists, as well as traditional and avant-garde jazz artists such as Ralph Sutton, Jim Galloway, George Masso, Jay McShann and Anthony Braxton.

Norris was also well-known as a broadcaster. According to an entry in the Canadian Encyclopedia:

He was jazz critic for the Globe and Mail in 1967, contributed to the Toronto Telegram and the Toronto Daily Star, and was a radio jazz program host and/or writer 1958-61 on Toronto radio station CHFI, and in the 1960s and early 1970s on the CBC (eg, "Strictly Jazz" and "That Midnight Jazz"). He prepared a jazz history series broadcast on the CBC's "Jazz Radio-Canada" in the summer of 1978. In the early 1980s, he also acted as booking agent, e.g. for Café des Copains.

An obit in Jazz Times quoted noted jazz broadcaster and the general manager of Jazz-FM in Toronto, Ross Porter:

 “John’s contribution to jazz in this country and for that matter around the world was substantial. John was a man of impeccable taste when it came to jazz. He avoided the pitfalls of musical politics and focused on releasing music he enjoyed which was always good, innovative jazz. He will be missed.”

Coda, which was sold to Warwick Publishing in 2000, is published 6 times a year.