Ajax Race Records

Ajax Race Records

Music Labels

Ajax Records was founded in 1921 as a subsidiary of the Compo Company, Canada’s first independent record-making factory, established in Lachine by Herbert S. Berliner. Recordings were produced in both Montreal and New York, closely coordinated, though distribution was primarily aimed at the United States. Marketed at the time as a premium “race records” label, a term used to denote recordings by Black artists for Black audiences, Ajax was innovative in both sound quality and artistic vision. Unlike many other labels, it invested heavily in high-fidelity recording techniques, producing clear, dynamic recordings that highlighted the nuances of jazz and dance music. These investments provided Black musicians with opportunities rarely available elsewhere in Canada, allowing them to record their work professionally and reach wider audiences. The label was also forward-thinking in giving Montreal jazz artists, such as Millard Thomas and his Chicago Novelty Orchestra, a platform to document their music at a time when recording opportunities were scarce. As John Gilmore notes in Swinging in Paradise, after the Second World War, Montreal remained the only city in Canada where musicians could continue to make records, solidifying Ajax’s role in pioneering the recording of jazz and supporting Black artists in the country.

The Chicago Defender

“Ajax Race Record Ad,” The Chicago Defender, January 24, 1925 https://www.newspapers.com

The Chicago Defender

January 24, 1925

The Chicago Defender

The Chicago Defender

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Newspaper