Sackville Recordings – The In Sound From Up Here!
No discussion of the history of jazz in Canada would be complete without a word or three about Sackville Recordings, a label founded in Toronto by John Norris and Bill Smith in 1968. Sackville's first release was a recording of a group of American musicians (dubbed The Jazz Giants for the occasion) who were playing an engagement at Yonge St.'s Colonial Tavern.
This album was enough of a success that a follow-up session featuring one of the musicians from the first record – clarinetist and alto saxophonist Herb Hall – was quickly scheduled.
Sackville quickly gained a reputation as a top-notch jazz label, and throughout the 1970s and '80s, it put out many LPs by American jazz legends like Jay McShann, Teddy Wilson, Ruby Braff and Buddy Tate.
Alongside these more traditional recordings, Sackville was also a home for records by avant-garde and experimental musicians such as Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, Abdullah Ibrahim (aka Dollar Brand), Roscoe Mitchell and Don Pullen.
Canadian musicians (as well as foreign expats living in Canada) were also well-represented on Sackville; Scottish-born clarinetist and saxophone player Jim Galloway, drummer Pete Magadini, saxophonist Maury Coles, and guitarist Sonny Greenwich were among the many Canucks who appeared on Sackville. The 1979 duo LP with guitarist Ed Bickert and bassist/pianist Don Thompson (a live recording which won a Juno for Best Jazz Album) is a personal favourite of mine, and both of them often appeared on Sackville releases, both as leaders and in support of other musicians.
Sackville co-founder Bill Smith was also its art director, and his distinctive and eye-catching album cover designs were a large part of Sackville's identity.
These days it would appear as though Sackville is defunct, but the label did re-issue many of their records on CD during the 2000s, and a lot of their vinyl releases are still easy enough to find in used record stores. You can also listen to many of them (including all of the albums pictured above) if you visit the Arts department of the Toronto Reference Library (5th floor, 789 Yonge St.)!
4 thoughts on “Sackville Recordings – The In Sound From Up Here!”
I have that Ed Bickert/Don Thompson Sackville 4005 on CD. In the early ’80s I loved seeing Ed and Don accompany Moe Koffman, at George’s Spaghetti House. Ahhh, Ed barely moving, one foot on the stool rung, one foot dangling to the floor, and a DuMaurier resting comfortably between his lips, curls of smoke lazily wafting to the old ceiling. He is amazing.
Hello Beau,
Sackville does still exist. It is now owned by Delmark Records in Chicago [http://delmark.com]. They distribute what was left over when we ended the label and have also reissued a number of the CDs.
bill smith [former owner]
Bill, thanks to you and John for all the selfless “tutoring” that you performed in the Jazz & Blues Centre up on Yonge St. and then on King St. west. And not to forget, that great magazine “Coda” that you published for many years. I cultivated a large interest in collecting all types of jazz from those visits. Hope you and Mr. Norris are well. Best regards, Curtiss.
The Dave Holland/Karl Berger ‘All Kinds Of Time’ LP was the first Jazz record I ever purchased and my first serious introduction to Jazz. I could never remember the players and had a vague mental image of what one of the covers was. I listened to that LP with attention and intent as it punctuated a succinct and formative mode of sound and presence, with the spatial clarity that the duo were able to communicate and convey. That record holds a very important place in my experience and memory of what Jazz was and is to me. After having sold it back in the mid to later 90’s, I’ve now found this LP 22 years later after looking here. I was like, ” That’s IT!” Amazing! : )))))))))