Not the American Soul label, but a Jazz label with a 'New Orleans style' slant. As was the case with that other label, NoLa took its name from 'NO, LA', 'New Orleans, Louisiana'. It was run by Tom Stagg, an enthusiast for the type of Jazz that originated in that area. In the 1960s and early '70s he promoted tours of the UK by New Orleans artists, and he started up the NoLa label in order to make that kind of music available here. I haven't yet managed to find a definite starting date for NoLa - its first album, 'In The Groove' by Kid Sheik and Captain John Handy with the Barry Martyn Band - was recorded in 1966 and came out on the 77 Records label in that year as LEU-12-15 as well as on NoLa as LP-1. Presumably one or the other of those records was a reissue, but which one remains to be determined. The company put out more than two dozen albums but it also made a few forays into the 7" field, using a JBS-0 numerical series. There's no date on JBS-1, a three-track EP by Dejan's Olympia Brass Band, but as the band visited these shores in 1972 and took part in a BBC radio broadcast for the Queen's 25th Wedding Anniversary it's possible that the EP was released in order to take advantage of the resultant publicity. Two more records by the band followed; happily JBS-3 had a date on it, 1973. That EP had pink labels rather than yellow ones, but the layout was the same (2). There were no more 7" NoLas until the 1980s, and when they arrived they came in a different label design. JBS-4 came out in 1981, with JBSes 5 and 6 trailing after it some five years later. The final NoLa album came out in 1987. JBSes 1 and 3 were pressed by C. H. Rumble (q.v.). Thanks to Sam Mauger for bringing NoLa to my attention.
Copyright 2022 Robert Lyons.