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| Fonds/Collection Number: | F0475 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Title: | Warwick Publishing Group fonds | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dates: | 1958-2002 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Extent: | 2.47 m of textual records 11,162 photographs : b&w, some col. ; 21.5 x 28 cm and smaller 1,027 photographs : b&w negatives ; 35 mm 18 photographs : col. transparencies ; 6 x 6 cm and 35 mm |
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| Biographical Sketch/ Administrative History: | Warwick Publishing was established by James Williamson in 1990 as a producer of books for other publishers. Its mandate expanded in 1992, when Warwick published its first seven titles. Five years later, the company's annual report announced its intention to expand into other fields, including magazines, music, electronic publishing, and newspapers. Music came first with the creation of Sensation Records in October 1998. The new company focused on producing jazz and blues recordings under the influence of Jeff Healey, its Creative Director, well known blues guitarist, and highly respected collector of classic jazz. Expansion into magazines occurred in February 1999, when Warwick Publishing purchased "Classical Music Magazine" from Derek (Deroy) Copperthwaite and his son, Anthony. The magazine was established in 1978 as "Music Magazine," taking a "plain English" approach to covering classical music in Canada as well as its international influences. Photography was a major component of the magazine, featuring a "candid photojournalistic style, which captures people at their most natural and expressive moments." The magazine was renamed "Classical Music Magazine" in July 1991, and continued to offer articles, interviews and reviews focusing on recent developments, the careers of performing artists and conductors, the release of books and audio recordings, and the history of classical music. Following the purchase of magazine by Warwick Publishing, it was renamed "Opus" and given an expanded editorial focus that included jazz and opera. The company's connection with jazz was strengthened in November 2000, when Warwick Publishing purchased "Coda : the journal of jazz and improvised music." "Coda" was established in May 1958 by John Norris, who served as its editor until 1976. The magazine acquired a significant international readership, with more than 60 percent of its circulation distributed beyond Canada by 2004. It is highly regarded by jazz enthusiasts for its emphasis upon innovative trends in improvised music as well as the genre's traditional roots. The magazine's interviews, articles, reviews of recordings, clubs and concerts, and news columns feature the work of several writers who have had a long association with "Coda," and have resulted in frequent nomination as the best periodical covering jazz in the annual poll of the Jazz Journalist Association. Photography has also been a major component of the magazine's success. Issues have been illustrated not only with the publicity photographs submitted by recording companies and agencies, but also with photography of live performances. A significant percentage of these performance images were taken by Bill Smith, who was appointed art director of "Coda" in 1963, and served as co-editor from 1976 to 1983 and as editor from 1983 until the magazine's purchase in 2000. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Scope and Content: |
Fonds consists of publications, correspondence, edited manuscripts, promotional literature, research notes, legal documents, surveys, print proofs and photographs for "Opus" (formerly known as "Music Magazine" and "Classical Music Magazine"), as well as published issues and photographs for "Coda : the journal of jazz and improvised music." The business records document the editorial function of the magazine, as well as its efforts to achieve financial sustainability. The photographs illustrate an international community of permforming artists over several decades, as well as the clubs and concert halls at which they performed. The fonds has been arranged into nine series:
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| Restrictions on Access and Use: | Access to some series has been restriced. Please see the series-level descriptions for more specific information. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Finding Aid: | File list available. | ||||||||||||||||||
| URL of Finding Aid: | http://archivesfa.library.yorku.ca/submissions/fonds/ON00370-f0000475.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||
| Accruals: | The fonds comprises the following accessions: 2004-052. Further accruals may be expected. | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2004-052 |
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| Immediate source of acquisition: | Donated by Pamela Brown in 2004. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Provenance Access Points: | Warwick Publishing |
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Date of creation: 2005/03/15 Date of last revision: 2006/08/31 |
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