Dynamic tenor saxophonist, composer & arranger brings an all-star lineup comprised of several Mid-Atlantic jazz scenes to perform music from his octet suite, Elemental! Featuring Stephen Philip Harvey, Bobby Selvaggio, Tommy Lehman, Reggie Watkins, Dan Bruce, Theron Brown, Tony DePaolis, Dustin May.
The Stephen Philip Harvey Octet (SPH8) is a collective of eight musicians from several Mid-Atlantic jazz scenes coming together to play the original compositions and arrangements of Stephen Philip Harvey. This performance is part of SPH8’s 2022 Spring Tour where they’ll be premiering new music from Harvey’s pen.
The new music featured will be from Harvey’s newest octet suite, Elemental. The compositions from this suite are inspired by the classic elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. In addition, the set will showcase reductions of some of his big band music, expansions of some of his small group music to fit this eight-member group.
ABOUT STEPHEN
As a composer and arranger, Stephen has worked with a diverse array of musicians and instrumentations; composing for solo instrument to wind ensemble, jazz combo to large ensembles. He was recently selected for the Jazz Education Network’s 2022 Young Composer Showcase. This international showcase features rising composers and their work at the annual JEN Conference. It is his practice to funnel his eclectic musical background into his compositions, fusing Jazz and Classical with Popular, Funk, Hip-Hop, Rock, and Gospel. His compositions have been performed by ensembles at the University of North Texas, Eastman School of Music, New York University, the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, Youngstown State University, Kent State University, Seton Hill University, and Westminster College. Stephen has also collaborated with avant-garde jazz artist Roscoe Mitchell, with his project Conversation for Orchestra, which has been performed by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the SEM Ensemble of Brooklyn, NY.
As a musician and bandleader, Stephen has performed extensively in Western Pennsylvania, Northeast Ohio, and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Several projects under his belt include his electric quintet, Sphinx, his mid-sized jazz combo SPH8, and his large ensemble the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra. He’s also performed professionally with the First Class Big Band, The Akron Symphony Big Band, The Ohio Players, The Youngstown Jazz Collective, The Big Nasty, The Black Wolf and the Thief, The Vindy’s, The House of Leaves Band, and other musical projects.
On May 6, 2016, he released his debut album as composer and bandleader: Suite Childhood. His follow-up album, Smash!, is due to be released later in 2022 with Next Level (an imprint of Outside In Music).