[Ccddfergt]

CODA magazine has been sold for the second time in about five years.

The new owner, Peter Black, will temporarily run the magazine in partnership with previous publisher, Jim Williamson, and advertising head Daryl Angier will be editor. The last issue edited by Stuart Broomer, editor since 2001 and a contributor since the 60’s, will appear this spring.

Based on emails I’ve received from a couple of their contributors, I’m more than a little worried about the future of this venerable journal. By “venerable” I don’t mean stodgy. For 47 years CODA explored the spectrum of live and recorded jazz of all persuasions, Canadian and international, and has been a vigourous champion of the new and emerging styles and practitioners.

CODA was first published in Toronto by John Norris in 1958. I found my first copy at the Record Centre in Montreal in 1960. By 1966 I’d met Norris and treasure the memory of the time that year when I was Norris’ houseguest and helped to collate and staple the latest issue with an apartment full of volunteers. That was the night I also met Bill Smith who became co-editor with David Lee in 1976. Smith was sole editor from 1983 until 2000, when CODA was sold to the Warwick Publishing Group where first Nick Pitt and, subsequently, Jim Williamson acted as publisher, “maintaining the magazine's joint commitment to tradition and innovation in jazz”.

A letter sent to CODA contributors by incoming editor Angier indicates that the new management intends to change the magazine substantially, taking it “in a more mainstream direction to widen the appeal of it to a larger audience.” It goes on to talk about enhancing visual appeal (“more women on the cover etc.”) and favouring more “mainstream” music.

It doesn’t look good, folks.

[Ccddfergt]

I didn’t want to include any more text from Angier’s letter than necessary to convey the point. The letter was not addressed to me nor was it intended for publication. I did, however, precede the excerpt “more women on the cover etc.” with “It goes on to talk about enhancing visual appeal” which puts it in plainly in context.

We’re not talking about whether female musicians are as appropriate as male musicians for serious study or exposure in a jazz magazine. We’re talking, in part, about using sex to sell what has been a respected and important periodical.