Joe Sealy, Jackie Richarson et Paul Novotny

JOE SEALY, pianist and composer

For more than five decades Joe Sealy has enjoyed a successful career as a musician, actor, composer, music director and recording artist. During this time he has been featured on numerous televisionshows, toured throughout North America and Europe and worked with many major names in the entertainment industry. Tours have also played a significant part in Joe’s career. Some of the more notable ones include: six months on the road with Blood, Sweat and Tears; a 19 concert tour of Africville Suite (including an appearance at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.); a 20 city national tour of Timothy Findlay’s Piano Man’sDaughter (along with Veronica Tennant and Sylvia Tyson); and a 2 week tour of Norway and Denmark including a performance at the world famous Jazz House in Copenhagen.

In the early 1990’s, Joe teamed up with bassist Paul Novotny to form a musical partnership that has produced five albums over a period of 20 years. He not only performed on these albums but composed many of the numbers. They include: Double Entendre, Dual Vision, Africville Suite, Blue Jade and Songs. All of this work and success has not gone unnoted. Joe is both proud of, and humbled by, the acclaim he has received. Major awards include: a Juno Award for CD, Africville Suite; the Dora Mavor Moore Award for music direction in the Toronto production of Ain’t Misbehavin; and a Gemini Award nomination for his musical score for the documentary film The Road Taken. . Most recently, Joe was music director for a tribute concert honouring Sarah Vaughn and Dinah Washington at a sold out event at Toronto’s Koerner Hall. He continues to host a weekly radio show called “Joe’s Jazz” on Jazz FM 91. In September of 2010, Joe Sealy was invested in The Order of Canada.

JACKIE RICHARDSON, vocalist and narrator

Born in Donora Pa. and raised in Canada from the age of seven, Jackie Richardson is one of Canada’s foremost singers of gospel, blues, and jazz. She is known internationally for her performances on the concert stage, nightclubs, stage, screen and in the recording studio. Hermusical career has been enriched by her many live performances including performances with many great musicians including Celine Dion, Maureen Forrester, Anne Murray, Oliver Jones, Martha Reeves, Mavis Staples, and many others. Jackie’s CD, “A Woman's View Through Child’s Eyes”, which is mainly contemporary jazz, is available at all her of her live performances. Her acting credits include the Dora Ward-winning “Cookin’ at The Cookery – The Music and Times of Alberta Hunter”, for which she won a Dora Award, and Ain’t Misbehavin’. In 2011 Jackie received a Gemini Award for “The Gospel According to the Blues”. A resident of Thornhill, Ontario, Ms. Richardson has received the Canadian Actors’ Equity Lifetime Achievement Award, the Canadian Black Achievement Award, and the Toronto Blues Society Lifetime Achievement Award, Her family brings her much joy and support and one of the greatest blessings has been to perform with her daughter Kim Richardson.

PAUL NOVOTNY, bass

Paul Novotny knows how to make the bass talk. Singers like Jackie Richardson, Holly Cole, Carol Welsman and Molly Johnson would all agree. They have called upon Paul for his melodic and rhythmic style. Paul’s production of Joe Sealy’s Juno Award- winning (1997) “Africville Suite” helped to establish him as one Canada’s best record producers. Paul is also an established Film/TV composer who penned the orchestral theme for (CBC) “The National” in 2001, and in 2004 he wrote the original theme for (CBC) “The Hour” featuring George Stroumboulopoulos. Paul has also written and produced music for feature films and many national radio and TV commercials. As a jazz bass player Paul has performed with Cedar Walton, Geoff Keezer, Junior Mance, Don Thompson, Tommy Banks, and others. Since 1994, Paul has been the vice-president of Triplet Records Inc., the record label that he co-owns with his music and business partner Joe Sealy. Recently Sealy & Novotny released their fifth CD entitled “SONGS”, which features nine original
songs with guest performances by Dan Hill, Jully Black, Ranee Lee, Jackie Richardson and Barbra Lica. Paul is also a professor at Humber College, School of Creative and Performing Arts in Toronto.