Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra to Release “Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop” on August 22.
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.
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.
“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.