Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra
November 21 @ 2:00 PM

Led By Stephen Philip Harvey - Saxophone

No Reservations
Pay What You Can

Join us for an electrifying evening of big band action as the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra (SPHJO) performs the music of their sophomore album, Multiversal: Live at BOP STOP, and new original arrangements and compositions. This thrilling live recording, captured at the iconic Cleveland venue, showcases an action-packed collection of original works by saxophonist, composer, and conductor Stephen Philip Harvey.

The SPHJO is a seventeen-piece ensemble featuring a rotating roster of world-class musicians from across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Known for their bold sound and adventurous programming, the group debuted in 2022 with Smash!, a studio album released on Next Level (an imprint of Outside in Music). Drawing inspiration from comic books and superhero sagas, Harvey’s compositions burst with cinematic energy, a signature style continued and expanded in this new live album.

With Multiversal, Harvey channels the spirit of America's original large ensemble into a vivid, pseudo-cinematic soundscape filled with drama, intensity, and imaginative storytelling.

Press Quotes

“A composer and bandleader with a knack for translating com-book action into instrumental jazz fireworks. Multiversal goes further – making the listener feel not just like a reader of the story, but a participant in this cinematic, superhero-themed recording.” –Veronica Johnson, DownBeat Magazine

“A bold, super-powered live album that cements his place as one of contemporary jazz’s adventurous large-ensemble voices… [Multiversal] shows Harvey at the top of his compositional, arranging, and bandleading game.” – Mike Gates, UK Vibe

“His compositions and first-class arrangements connect the jazz tradition with the spirit of contemporary African American music.

The eleven tracks captivate with colorful instrumentation, brilliant solos, and admirable interplay between the orchestra’s sections.” — Michael van Gee, Jazz’n’More


Bio:

Stephen Philip Harvey is an award-winning, Philadelphia-based saxophonist, composer, and bandleader whose music combines expressive improvisation, cinematic storytelling, and the traditions of contemporary Black American music. He leads SPH+2, Sphinx, the Stephen Philip Harvey Octet, and the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra.

His upcoming release, The Pen is Mightier (2027) surveys original pieces inspired by Black American literature. This comes on the heels of the ensemble’s Chamber Music America-commissioned suite Mythos premiere Other recent releases include, Golden Hour, which highlights the intimate interplay of SPH+2, and his 2025 large-ensemble release, Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop, which was praised by DownBeat Magazine as “instrumental jazz fireworks.”

Harvey’s compositions have been performed throughout the United States and internationally. NEA Jazz Master Roscoe Mitchell calls him “an exceptional musician with a very bright future.”