Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra - new album and US tour dates.

Friday, August 15, 2025

The the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra will release the album "Live At Bop Stop" on August 22nd 2025. This will be followed by a series of US tour dates during September, October and November.

We have received the following press release;

Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra: Multiversal – Live at Bop Stop + Upcoming Tour Dates

The SUPCOMING 2025 SPH TOUR DATES:

Sept 19 – Saint Michaels, MD – Golden Hour Residency (SPH+2)

Sept 21 – Salisbury, MD – Maryland Folk Festival (SPH+2)

Oct 17 – Saint Michaels, MD – Golden Hour Residency Performance (SPH+2)

Oct 18 – Salisbury, MD – Roadie Joes (SPH+2)

Oct 22 – Greensburg, PA – Seton Hill University (Lecture)

Oct 23 – Greensburg, PA – Seton Hill University (SPHJO)

Oct 24 – TBD (Lecture)

Oct 24 – Cleveland, OH – Bop Stop (SPHJO)

Oct 25 – Akron, OH – Blu Jazz+ (SPHJO)

Oct 26 – TBD (Lecture)

Oct 27 – Chicago, IL - Fulton Jazz Collective (SPHJO)

Oct 28 – Racine, WI, The Prairie School (Lecture)

Oct 29 – Stevens Point, WI – University of Wisconsin (Lecture)

Oct 30 – TBD

Oct 31 – TBD, Madison, WI (SPHJO)

Nov 1 – University of Wisconsin Eau Claire (Lectures, SPHJO)

Nov 2 – Jazz Central Studios, Minneapolis, MN

Nov 8 – Baltimore, MD – An Die Musik (SPHJO)

“Covert Ops” is the second single from Multiversal: Live at BOP STOP, the explosive sophomore album from the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra and the eighth release from saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Stephen Philip Harvey.

Tenor saxophonist Max Schlenk plays the role of the super spy in this thrilling feature. As you’ll hear, he likes his solos shaken, not stirred, and with a shot of pure adrenaline!

Continuing his genre-bending journey through comic book-inspired soundscapes, Harvey presents a thrilling new collection of compositions, captured live at Cleveland’s iconic BOP STOP. Full album out August 22, 2025, on Hidden Cinema Records.

Saxophonist/Composer/Arranger/Conductor
Stephen Philip Harvey Presents
The Sophomore Album From
The Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra:
Multiversal – Live at Bop Stop
Release date: 8/22/25, Radio add date: 8/18/25, Hidden Cinema Records (HCR 2501), File Under: Jazz

Featuring: Stephen Philip Harvey: Composer, Arranger, Conductor, Bobby Selvaggio, Chris Coles: alto sax, flute, Max Schlenk, Johnny Cochran Jr.: tenor sax, clarinet, Clint Bleil: baritone sax, bass clarinet, JD Chaisson, Tommy Lehman, Jakobe Henry, Garrett Folger: trumpet, Zach Warren, Will Horner, Lauren Rudzinskas: trombone, Amer Forrer: bass trombone, Dan Bruce: guitar, Ben Tweedt: piano, Fender Rhodes, Jordan McBride: acoustic & electric bass, Dustin May: drums

“Stephen is an exceptional musician with a very bright future.”
– Roscoe Mitchell, NEA Jazz Master

“Maryland-based tenor saxophonist Stephen Philip Harvey is a straightahead band room swinger with an ear for making four horns sound like a kicking big band. He has two new live octet albums drawn from the last stop of a 2023 tour . . . The opener, ‘Witch Hunt,’ is a spar-kler, with a quietly secretive intro that gives way to snappy repartee between horns and creamy Rhodes (Ben Tweedt). ‘Jay Tee’ has bedroom eyes, with a sexy tenor solo from Harvey himself.”
– Paul DeBarros, DownBeat Magazine

“Sophisticated accessibility! When I listen to Stephen Harvey’s music, that’s what hear. Thoughtful construction of complex structures and orchestrations that take the listener on a beautiful sonic ride without speaking over their heads. A beautiful pairing of the complex and the elementary.” – Trumpeter Sean Jones

“Harvey’s arrangements emphasize riffs and melodies over improvisation, though he certainly leaves room for his crew to express themselves when called upon. But his focus on tunes keeps the songs effervescent and accessible” – Michael Toland, The Big Takeover

“There’s a fine indiscipline to Harvey’s big band writing. Ominous horror-film riffs sit comfortably alongside soaring album-rock guitar solos, urgent, cop-show horn fanfares and creamy unison sax-section passages straight out of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra’s book. It’s a fridge-raid omelette of sounds held together by the audaciousness of Harvey’s conception and the joy with which his players bring it to life.”
– John Chacona, All About Jazz

The prolific saxophonist/composer/arranger/conductor Stephen Philip Harvey leads various ensembles with a seemingly insatiable drive to explore a vast array of avenues in improvisation and composition, including his wonderful 17-piece Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra, first heard on the album Smash, and now on an explosive performance at Cleveland’s iconic venue, Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop. Recorded live in one take at, the eighth release from Stephen Philip Harvey at the sophomore album from the SPH Jazz Orchestra, this CD/LP continues Harvey’s genre-bending journey through comic book-inspired soundscapes. On Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop you will be treated to epic, super-powered music scored for heroes, villains and everyone in between!

Harvey is an avid fan of comics (as was the late, great Wayne Shorter) and uses the vibrant worlds, superheroes, story arcs, characters, and tropes as inspirations for his pieces, stretching his imagination to sketch in sound the rich concept of the multiverse. Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop, the second journey for the SPH Jazz Orchestra through comic book-inspired music (first heard on their 2022 debut, Smash), redefines the possibilities of America’s original ensemble: the jazz orchestra.

The seventeen musicians (“the Avengers of jazz”) joining forces in this super-powered Jazz Orchestra all hail from the Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania regions. Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop therefore serves as a testament to the vibrant jazz scene in that region. 

In total this action packed release presents over an hour of pseudo-cinematic original music for a modern, contemporary jazz orchestra. It is another gem in Harvey’s extensive catalog of recordings from various ensembles, reinforcing his dedication to pursuing, and contributing to, myriad jazz traditions. Stephen Philip Harvey recordings: Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop (2025), Live at Radio Artifact (2024), Elemental (Live) (2024), Suite Childhood (2016), Smash! (2022), Elemental (2023), Sphinx (2023), and Library Card (2024).

More on the music with Stephen Philip Harvey:

The piece, “Multiversal,” was originally composed and premiered during our first album release tour, and thus began our journey into the multiverse. This piece is meant to pique the listener’s curiosity of the multiverse; Taking a bright theme and changing over the course of composition until the listener hits an unexpected ending.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azqqUh5kUpI

The multiverse theme is continued with “Earth-Two.” in comics, This name is usually designated to the first alternate earth that your character encounters. While familiar, this alternate earth contains mysterious perils and unimaginable wonders.

“Covert Ops” takes the listener into the realm of espionage and spy-craft. The harmonic progression nods to the British spy of MI6 while the orchestra adds tension and excitement to this tenor feature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oetUYqBLQLg

“Mind Your Weather, Weather Your Mind” takes the listener away from the action to explore a soundscape inspired by telekinesis and atmokinesis (weather manipulation). The title comes from a joint quote from two comrades/sisters, Jean Grey and Ororo Munroe (Storm), who wield those powers, respectively. These two characters are some of the most powerful in their history and that power is only rivaled by the power of their sisterhood.

“Men of Steel” was originally commissioned by the Bop Stop to celebrate their 10th anniversary at their current location. To loop in the city of Cleveland and comic books, I decided to honor the comic duo of Siegel & Shuster, whose iconic character has become classic of the comic ethos. This piece pays homage to the two creators with two low-voice soloists as these titans of comics.

“Ain’t No Sidekick” was commissioned by the Baltimore School of the Arts back in 2023. When thinking about comics and high school, I wanted to write a tongue in cheek piece about young heroes maturing into their own identity.

“Inner Beast” pays homage to the countless animal-based characters in comics. Heroes & villains alike have a long history of tuning into their inner beast. This piece is meant to embody that ferocity of that wild nature.

The inclusion of “Tectonic Shift” is a tiny cheat on my part. Originally composed for my Elemental suite, I thought including a large ensemble version of this would be a fun nod to the superpower of terrakinesis.

CMA Announces $543,000 in Grants for New Jazz and Classical Compositions
click here to read the official CMA press release
https://chambermusicamerica.org/news/announcing-2025-cc-and-njw-grants/

Stephen Philip Harvey commented, “this incredible support—made possible by CMA and The Doris Duke Foundation— will fund the creation of a brand new work original chamber jazz work, alongside fourteen other works from composers from across the country. Many of my compositional heroes have been part of this program in the past, so it’s a deep honor to join the ranks and continue that legacy.”