Smash! (2022)
Smash! is the debut album of the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra. This album is a collection of nine original compositions inspired by superheroes, characters, and tropes in comic books and popular culture. Smash! was released on June 17, 2022 with Next Level (an imprint of Outside In Music).
Buy Smash!
Smash! Press
““LISTENERS CAN RELAX: THERE’S NOTHING CARTOONISH ABOUT THE MUSIC, THOUGH THE BOISTEROUS ENERGY OF THE PERFORMANCES DOES AT TIMES EVOKE THE EPIC FIGHT SEQUENCES FOUND IN ISSUES OF BATMAN, BLACK PANTHER, AND SPIDER-MAN... AS THE SCENE-SETTING TITLE CUT MAKES CLEAR, THE BAND’S PLAYING IS TIGHT AND MUSCULAR, AND THE WRITING AND ARRANGING STRONG!”
““… his focus on tunes keeps the songs effervescent and accessible, making Smash! perfect for that superhero lover in your life that needs a blast of twenty-first century large ensemble jazz.””
“There’s a little of everything in Harvey’s approach to big band writing. On Smash!, Harvey throws in some ominous horror-film riffs (it’s a superhero-themed recording, right?), soaring album-rock guitar solos from Lakewood’s Dan Bruce, urgent, cop-show horn riffs and on “Nefarious Plots,” solos by all four members of the band’s trombone section.”
Album Info
Track Listing
1. Smash! (feat. JD Chaisson, Clint Bleil & Dustin May)
2. Vigilante (feat. JD Chaisson)
3. Zephyr (feat. Alex Ayers)
4. The Mystics (feat. Jason Kush)
5. Nefarious Plots (feat. Sam Blakeslee, Lauren Rudzinskas, Jim Weltman & Eric Dregne)
6. Mechanical Men (feat. Bobby Selvaggio & Dan Bruce)
7. Hero’s Journey (feat. Dan Bruce & JD Chaisson)
8. Projectile Dysfunction (feat. Sam Blakeslee & Bobby Selvaggio)
9. Party Song (feat. Chris Coles & Dan Bruce)
All songs composed and arranged by Stephen Philip Harvey and published by SPHarvey Music (ASCAP)
Produced by Stephen Philip Harvey
Recorded on August 17-18, 2021
Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered by Jay Dudt at Audible Images
Album Art & Design by Allison Levato
Photography by Mollie Crowe, Little Blackbird Photo
This album is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org) and the Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council (getswac.org).
Released by Next Level on June 17, 2022
Saxes - Bobby Selvaggio, Chris Coles, Jason Kush, Chris Rudzinskas, Clint Bleil
Trumpets - Tim Coyne, JD Chaisson, Theresa May, Kyle O’Donnell
Trombones - Sam Blakeslee, Lauren Rudzinskas, Jim Weltman, Eric Dregne
Dan Bruce, guitar; Alex Ayers, piano; Vinny Vivacqua, bass; Dustin May, drums