Arlington’s Mark Harvey and His Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, 54th season opener

Mandorla Music presents the legendary Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, led by founder and music director Mark Harvey, a longtime Arlington resident, in a concert Celebrating America250, at Boston’s historic Church of the Covenant on Newbury Street in the Back Bay, on Saturday Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Called “stunningly beautiful” (The New York City Jazz Record) and “spellbinding” (The Boston Globe), Aardvark dedicates the show to bedrock principles of democracy (freedom, justice, and inclusiveness), while honoring innovative American composers across the centuries. Selections range from Chester, the Revolutionary-era anthem by William Billings to The Journey, Mark Harvey’s commemoration of the struggle for school desegregation in Boston, to Peace, Goodwill (where Mark Harvey channels the 20^th century trailblazer Charles Ives) to Coltrane’s Miles Mode (honoring the twin centennial of American masters Coltrane and Miles) to another American masterpiece, Ellington’s Come Sunday, with Aardvark’s stellar vocalist Grace Hughes.  Also on tap:  Mark Harvey’s De-Evolution Blues, a rousing Aardvark staple (“ever-relevant to recent American history,” says Harvey) that concludes with the orchestra “dissolving into primordial ooze.”  The concert finale is No Walls, Harvey’s multi-genre, globe-trekking soundscape. Asked about the America250 theme, Harvey says,  “Jazz is the perfect music to celebrate America’s 250^th birthday.  Jazz honors individual expression within collective frameworks, thriving on diversity and inclusion, a model for democratic values.  Jazz builds communities of listeners and practitioners across many nationalities.  And, at its best, jazz is prophetic, forging new means of expression that can speak to our depths and joyfully encourage greater understanding among our neighbors here and abroad.  Jazz is:   no walls.”

Founded in 1973, the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra is one of the longest running large jazz ensembles in the world.  Aardvark has performed at concert halls, colleges and universities, festivals, jazz clubs and major cultural institutions. Guest artists have included jazz luminaries Sheila Jordan, Jaki Byard, Ricky Ford, Jimmy Giuffre, Geri Allen, Jay Clayton, Dominique Eade, Vinny Golia, Paul Lovens, Rajesh Mehta, Lewis Porter and Walter Thompson. The band has released 16 CDs, including 10 discs on Leo Records, one of the world’s leading adventurous music labels.    Mark Harvey has performed in the U.S., Mexico and Europe; has recorded with George Russell (Blue Note) and Baird Hersey (Arista/Novus) and has appeared with Gil Evans, Claudio Roditi, Howard McGhee, Sam Rivers, Kenny Dorham and others.  In 2019, Jazz Boston honored Mark Harvey with the Roy Haynes Award for “exceptional contributions to jazz and the jazz community.”

In 2015, Harvey was named Boston Jazz Hero by the national Jazz Journalists Association.  Commissions have featured such notables as Joe Lovano, Steve Turre, Herb Pomeroy and Ran Blake.  Dr. Harvey is a retired Methodist minister and is senior lecturer in music emeritus at MIT, where he taught jazz studies for 40 years.

Aardvark is: Daniel Ian-Smith, Peter H. Bloom, Phil Scarff, Chris Rakowski, Dan Zupan/saxes and woodwinds; Taylor Ho Bynum and Jeanne Snodgrass/trumpets; Bob Pilkington, Jay Keyser/trombones; Bill Lowe/bass trombone, tuba;  Richard Nelson/guitar; Dave Zox/string bass; Harry Wellott/drums; Grace Hughes, vocalist; Mark Harvey, music director.