Little Gifts is the upcoming holiday EP release of emerging saxophonist, composer, and educator Stephen Philip Harvey. This EP’s namesake is the original ballad included in the track listing that celebrates the little gifts of the holiday season: family, friends, and the fuzzy feeling you get when you spend time with the people you love.

The EP features three familiar holiday tunes in three different formats performed by chord-less trio. From mixed meter backbeat, contemporary waltz, and second line, this EP reimagines these tunes; adding both levity and gravity to opportune vehicles for improvisation. With a lighthearted air and open instrumentation, this collections acts as a solid entry for both seasonal holiday jazz listeners and avid jazz fans.

Little Gifts is Harvey’s debut trio release, furthering his ensemble formats under his leadership. This release comes as his trio, SPH+2, is set to release their debut LP in March of 2024. The ensemble features Harvey on tenor & soprano saxophones, Max Murray on bass, and Jordon Stanley on drums.

Little Gifts will be preceded by a promotional single, “Jingle Bells” which will be released on November 3, 2023. 



About Stephen Philip Harvey:

Stephen Philip Harvey (1992) is an African American saxophonist, composer, arranger, and educator.

As a musician and bandleader, Stephen has throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the United States. He leads his ensembles with a drive to explore a vast array of avenues in improvisation and composition.These ensembles include 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).

He has four full album releases under his belt: Suite Childhood (2016, Self-Released) and Smash! (2022, Next Level an imprint of Outside In Music). Elemental (2023) and his recent eponymous quintet release, Sphinx (2023). The latter two releases were released on Harvey’s label, Hidden Cinema Records.

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. 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 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 instruction positions at Wicomico High School, Salisbury University, and Youngstown State University.