ABOUT

Africville Stories is Joe Sealy’s new presentation that builds on his Juno award winning Africville Suite. Africville Stories will present poignant and uplifting new stories about the people and their community. These stories are the ones that you generally don’t hear when people speak of Africville. Established in 1847 “Africville” was nestled on the shores of the Bedford Basin at the north end of Halifax and was Canada’s oldest black community, until it was razed in the late 1960’s as an “urban improvement” measure. Africville had to overcome a multitude of challenges but managed to survive for more than a century, until the final building was demolished in 1970. The stories surrounding George Dixon, Joe Louis, Portia White and Duke Ellington combine to create the legacy of this unique Canadian community.  

Africville Stories tells of this legacy in a narrative and musical journey. The Africville story continues right to the present time with a new tribute composition titled “The Seaview African United Baptist Church”. The re-construction of the church has been discussed for years and it is currently nearing completion on the site of Africville. Its construction is seen as a small step towards compensating the “Africville” community for injustices of the past. 

Africville Stories will be performed by award-winning Canadian singer-storyteller Jackie Richardson. Composer/Pianist Joe Sealy, has presented his Africville Suite in concert halls, universities and music festivals across Canada, Denmark, Norway and the USA, Joe Sealy has enjoyed a highly successful career as a musician, composer, recording artist and radio broadcaster. Recently he was appointed to the Order of Canada for his outstanding contributions to the arts 

JOE SEALY, pianist and composer  

For more than six 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 television shows, 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’s Daughter (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 tribute concerts honouring Sarah Vaughn and Dinah Washington and for a 100th anniversary concert honouring Frank Sinatra. Both sold out events were held 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. Her musical 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 MA., PhD (c), bass 

In his 40-year career, Canadian bassist, composer, music producer, author, educator, and innovator Paul Novotny has performed with such eminent international jazz artists as Kenny Wheeler, Geoff Keezer, Cedar Walton, Junior Mance, Jo-Anne Brakeen, and singers David Clayton Thomas, Roger Whitaker, John Findley, Jackie Richardson, Ranee Lee, Aida Lee, Barbra Lica, and Holy Cole.

A multiple Juno-nominated co-leader with pianist/composer Joe Sealy, Novotny produced five recordings, including Sealy’s 1996 Juno-winning Africville Suite on his Triplet Records label. In addition, he has co-written songs with singers Dan Hill, and Molly Johnson.

In 1994, he produced singer Carol Welsman’s Juno-nominated recording Lucky to Be Me, which led to a performance at Club Blue Note in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 1993, he performed with the Holy Cole Trio at the Japanese Grand Prix Golden Disc Awards as the Trio won awards for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Album. In 2012, he produced, performed on, and released Barbra Lica’s first album That’s What I Do, which debuted at #1 on the Canadian iTunes jazz chart and was released in Japan by Universal Music.

As a composer and performer, Novotny has created music and sound design for commercials, feature films, television franchises, and video games including: The Canadian Broadcasting Company’s The National (2021) and The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos (2004), Newsworld’s News Now (2005), the (2016) film short Mishka, and the soundtrack for the internationally acclaimed, multi-platinum award winning Cuphead video game in (2017).

His most recent 2022 recording, Summertime in Leith, was recorded and performed live with Oscar Peterson protégé Robi Botos. It received a 5-out-of-5 rating from 78 international media outlets in 18 countries, and was released in the Dolby Atmos Music format; the topic of his PhD research.

In 2017 Novotny earned his MA in music composition from York University and became a certified Apple Digital Music mastering engineer in 2016. Presently, his doctoral musicology/technology research examines the novel 3D Dolby Atmos music format and innovates it with a cutting-edge philosophy and studio design that emphasises premium quality, economical large-scope and small-scale to include independent creators. His research is published by Rutledge Focal Press UK (2024).

Novotny is on the faculty of Centennial College, Toronto, and the pedagogical educational advisory committees for Neumann, Eventide, The Les Paul Foundation, OekSound, Bettermaker, and Sonarworks.

As an elected board member of the Screen Composers Guild of Canada, Novotny has testified as an expert witness at two Heritage and Industry Science and Technology Government of Canada standing committees regarding fair copyright remuneration models for 21st-century media streaming.

Daniel Barnes, Drummer Composer Bandleader Producer

Daniel’s deep groove, dynamic sense, superior sound and versatility has kept him in demand as a drummer with a top echelon of jazz artists in Canada including Joe Sealy, Jackie Richardson, Holly Cole, Jane Bunnett, Richard Underhill, Micah Barnes, Heather Bambrick, Adi Braun, Colin Hunter and others, also backing visiting Americans Don Braden, Ron Westray, Dizzy Reese, Russ Nolan and more.

Daniel has earned distinction in Global/World Music having toured &/or recorded with three icons of Ethiopian music; vocalists Aster Aweke (“Aster Live in London” ’96) and Mr. Mahmoud Ahmed (“Tizita” ’98) and toured extensively through Europe & Asia in 2022 with legendary keyboardist/arranger Mr. Hailu Mergia. He currently leads Barnes & Woldemichael Ethio-Jazz - a group that features Ethiopian born first call saxophonist Girma Woldemichael. Together they interpret choice picks of the Ethiopian Jazz genre alongside Barnes’ original compositions. The group performs regularly in the Toronto area.

Daniel spent a decade as a member of The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band, earning a JUNO nomination with them for their CD “Sweet Return”. He’s recorded for Egyptian Canadian artist Maryem Hassan, Yiddish cabaret diva Theresa Tova and has appeared live with Venezuelan vocalist Eliana Cuevas, Caribbean super group “Canefire and legendary Toronto reggae group ‘The Sattalites’. Daniel’s own independent record releases “Culmination” and “Classic Beauties” feature him as drummer, composer, arranger & producer. Both have become staples at jazz radio in Canada & received critical acclaim. Hear them on the “Music” page on his website www.danielbarnesmusic.com

Daniel has presented his band at both the Toronto & Montreal International Jazz Festivals, The Aga Khan Museum, The Ashkenaz, Habari Africa & Kensington Jazz Festivals and appear regularly in local venues. Daniel plays Gretsch Drums, Murat Diril Cymbals and Headhunter Sticks and Creations exclusively

www.danielbarnesmusic.com

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