Biography

Canadian Jazz Musician

For more than five decades Joe Sealy has enjoyed a successful career as a musician, actor, composer, music director and recording artist. Tours have also played a significant part in Joe’s career. Some of the more notable ones include:

  • 6 months on the road with Blood, Sweat and Tears;
  • 19 concert tour of Africville Suite(including an appearance at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.);
  • 20 city national tour of Timothy Findlay’s Piano Man’s Daughter(along with Veronica Tennant and Sylvia Tyson);
  • 2 week tour of Norway and Denmark including a performance at the world famous Jazz House in Copenhagen.

4 Time Juno Nominee and 1 juno Award Winner

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; theDora Mavor Moore Award for music direction in the Toronto production of Ain’t Misbehavin; and a Gemini Award nominationfor his musical score for the documentary film The Road Taken.

Directing

More recently, Joe was music director for tribute concerts honoring Sarah Vaughn and Dinah Washington and for a 100th anniversary concert honoring Frank Sinatra. Both sold out events were held at Toronto’s Koerner Hall.

Playing Live Music

Currently, Joe is music director for “Canada’s Crooner”, Colin Hunter with appearances at New York’s famous Blue Note in 2017 and at Los Angeles’ Vibrato Jazz Club in 2019. Joe has also hosted his own radio shows, Joe Sealy’s Duets and Joe’s Jazz on Jazz FM 91 in Toronto for the past 15 years.

Order of Canada

In 2010, Joe was invested in The Order Of Canada.