I was never in either of "the" bands at Northern, but I played trumpet in one of the lower-level ensembles led by C.S. Milligan (the guy in the white jacket on the right hand side), who was my music teacher in grades nine and ten. He also conducted the Concert Band on this album, while the Jazz Ensemble was conducted by Ben Vair, who I think had left Northern by the time I got there.

Aside from a couple of the soloists, none of the band members are identified on the record sleeve, but I can tell you that Variations 83 was recorded at Lambton College by engineers Dave Joyce and Daryl Stogryn. "Sparks" is a short classical/jazz number by the Northern Concert Band which features an impressive solo marimba performance by Doug Sole (?). "Gabriel" is a longer jazz/funk tune energetically played by the Northern Jazz Ensemble, and written by trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and Christopher Lane.

Sparks - Northern Concert Band
Gabriel - Northern Jazz Ensemble

(by Kevin McGowan, who also attended Northern)

This LP was created in 1974 by the Northern Collegiate Senior and Junior Bands with Ensemble, from Sarnia Ontario.

The group features Music Director Mr. C. Scott Milligan (who was still a music teacher when I attended this high school in the late 80s) and Assistant Music Director John L. MacIssac.

Mr. Milligan is a graduate of Ottawa Teacher's College and later he studied music history at Queen's University. Presently, he is studying music education at the University of Western Ontario. for the past three years, Mr. Milligan has been the organist and choir master at St. George's Anglican Church in Sarnia. He came to Northern Collegiate in 1970.

Mr. MacIsaac was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia and is a graduate of the University of Waterloo. He came to Northern in 1969 to teach Marketing, Sales Promotion, and Advertising. Mr. Milligan soon enlisted his services in the music program as a full-time music teacher.

It seems that no high school album could be released in the 70s without a version of Shaft. To keep the pop music at the fore, they also have a great version of Three Dog Night's Joy To The World.

Shaft
Joy to The World