Stephen Philip Harvey Octet | "Elemental (Live)"

Saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator Stephen Philip Harvey leads various ensembles with a drive to explore a vast array of avenues in improvisation and composition, including his wonderful Stephen Philip Harvey Octet (SPH8), heard on the studio album Elemental, and now on the live recording of this music, Elemental (Live). 

To culminate and celebrate the release tour for the studio album, the SPH8 recorded their performance in support of Elemental at Radio Artifact in Cincinnati on June 23, 2023. This exciting evening generated two separate recordings that are slated for release on Harvey’s imprint, Hidden Cinema Records. Elemental (Live) will be released on May 3, 2024, and its companion recording, Live at Radio Artifact, will be released on August 23, 2024, with dynamic arrangements of tunes by Wayne Shorter and Tim Green, and additional original compositions from this rising-star composer and bandleader.

The music on Elemental (Live) is inspired by the elements of water, air, earth, and fire. Fusing modern harmonies, driving vamps, and myriad textures, Harvey brings these forces of nature through his fertile composer’s imagination, to an aural landscape. Harvey, working from a broad palette, also brilliantly displays his practice of weaving together his eclectic musical history into his compositions, fusing jazz and classical elements with pop, funk, hip-hop, rock, and Gospel. It all makes for a rich tapestry of sound unique to the SPH8, as heard on this recording. 

Elemental (Live) follows up five releases, all worthy of one’s time and ears: Suite Childhood (2016, Self-Released), Smash! (2022, Next Level/Outside In Music), Elemental (2023), a recent quintet release, Sphinx (2023), and Library Card (2024) (the latter three recordings were released on Harvey’s label, Hidden Cinema Records).

As a musician and bandleader, Stephen has toured throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the United States. He leads a diverse array of ensembles, including his chordless trio SPH+2, his electric quintet, Sphinx, his mid-sized jazz combo, the Stephen Philip Harvey Octet (SPH8), and his large ensemble the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra (SPHJO). As a prolific composer and arranger, Harvey has worked with a diverse array of musicians and instrumentations; composing for solo instrument to wind ensemble, jazz combo to large ensembles. His compositions have been performed by ensembles at universities throughout the USA. As an educator, Stephen has held instructional positions at all levels of education in diverse areas of music education. He currently holds positions at Wicomico High School, Salisbury University, and Youngstown State University. Harvey is an alumnus of Youngstown State University ('16, MM – Jazz Studies) and Seton Hill University ('14, BM – Music Education). Stephen Philip Harvey endorses P. Mauriat Saxophones (www.pmauriatmusic.com). 

The Stephen Philip Harvey Octet (SPH8) is a collective of eight musicians from the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest of the United States, playing the original compositions and arrangements of Stephen Philip Harvey. The ensemble was revived post-pandemic with new compositions and this new line-up of musicians. Boasting their own individual touring histories, the ensemble harnesses their combined musical talents to bring a bold voice to Harvey’s writing. With a rotating roster of dynamic musicians, SPH8 showcases the remarkable musicianship located throughout these regions.