Stephen Philip Harvey - Golden Hour Release

Stephen Phillip Harvey

Golden Hour is the second album by SPH+2 and the ninth release from saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Stephen Philip Harvey. Recorded live at the Golden Hour Rum Room in Saint Michaels, Maryland, the album features four original compositions and a reimagined interpretation of Henry Mancini’s “Days of Wine and Roses.” Released August 21, 2026, on Hidden Cinema Records, the recording captures one evening of the trio's monthly residency at one of the Mid-Atlantic's most unique listening rooms.

Featuring Harvey on tenor saxophone, Steve Arnold on bass, and Jordon Stanley on drums, SPH+2 embraces the freedom and intimacy of the chordless trio tradition. Without a piano or guitar, melody, harmony, and rhythm emerge through collective interaction, creating a conversational approach that rewards attentive listening and invites each musician to shape the music in real time.

The album's four original compositions are deeply connected to the residency and the community that formed around it. The opening track, “Won’t You Take Me,” is a groove-driven funk tune named by Harvey's former high school students, who jokingly insisted it sounded like “that funky town song.” The title track, “Golden Hour,” is a lyrical ballad dedicated to the connection, creativity, and sense of belonging fostered by the residency and its audience. “Mahogany & Glass,” a slow waltz, reflects the warmth and elegance of the venue itself, while “Dark Rum,” named for Lyon Rum’s flagship spirit, closes the album and revisits the first composition Harvey premiered during the residency.

Completing the program is “Days of Wine and Roses,” Harvey’s interpretation of the enduring Henry Mancini standard. Chosen in playful acknowledgment of the album’s distillery setting, the selection also fits naturally within its atmosphere of warmth, reflection, and fleeting beauty. In the open framework of the chordless trio, SPH+2 brings a fresh sense of space and conversation to the familiar melody.

Named for both the venue and the fleeting period of warm light before sunset, Golden Hour explores themes of community, place, and presence. Recorded before a live audience, the album documents a working band at the height of its rapport, transforming the musical growth fostered by the residency into a cohesive artistic statement.

Harvey has earned recognition as a composer whose work balances sophistication and accessibility. Trumpeter Sean Jones has described his music as “a beautiful pairing of the complex and the elementary,” while Roscoe Mitchell has called Harvey “an exceptional musician with a very bright future.” Those qualities are on full display throughout Golden Hour, where thoughtful compositions provide a framework for spontaneous interaction, collective storytelling, and emotional honesty.

The album also expands Harvey's growing catalog of ensemble projects. While the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra explores cinematic large-ensemble storytelling and his octet projects draw inspiration from literature, chamber music, and Black cultural traditions, SPH+2 focuses on the immediacy of improvisation and the intimacy of small-group communication. The result is a recording that feels both deeply personal and universally welcoming.

Recorded live, developed through months of performance, and inspired by the people and place that made it possible, Golden Hour is a celebration of community, creativity, and the beauty of shared experience.