Aardvark Jazz Orchestra 50th Annual Christmas Concert at Church Of The Covenant

Called "stunningly beautiful" (The New York City Jazz Record" and "one of the best jazz ensembles in the world" (Jazz Podium, Germany), the legendary orchestra, led by founder/music director Mark Harvey, will hold its 50th Annual Christmas Concert at the Church of the Covenant in Boston, the venue where Aardvark held its very first concert (50 years ago) on December 23, 1973. This Boston holiday tradition will feature jazz-infused carols, soulful spirituals, and Mark Harvey originals, including his Afro-Jazz Benedictus and his high energy arrangement of Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, a staple of the Christmas concerts since 1973. Tickets are $20, with proceeds to support the Poor People’s United Fund....

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Called "stunningly beautiful" (The New York City Jazz Record" and "one of the best jazz ensembles in the world" (Jazz Podium, Germany), the legendary orchestra, led by founder/music director Mark Harvey, will hold its 50th Annual Christmas Concert at the Church of the Covenant in Boston, the venue where Aardvark held its very first concert (50 years ago) on December 23, 1973. This Boston holiday tradition will feature jazz-infused carols, soulful spirituals, and Mark Harvey originals, including his Afro-Jazz Benedictus and his high energy arrangement of Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, a staple of the Christmas concerts since 1973. Tickets are $20, with proceeds to support the Poor People’s United Fund.

Acclaimed for "lush sonorities and a saxophonic blend worthy of Ellington’s finest reed sections" (JazzTimes), and hailed for "exuberance, imagination and sheer brio" (Jazz Review (UK), The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra 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.

CultureJazz.Fr summed up Aardvark's aesthetic, praising their "expansive harmony, brilliant music... discipline, openness, and freedom: a sumptuous work… an exceptional big band. "

Now entering its 6th decade, the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra is one of the longest running large jazz ensembles in the world. When asked to explain the band’s longevity, Mark Harvey observes, “Aardvark has been fortunate to have a stable and dedicated personnel roster, many with 30 and 40 years of service or more. All of us share a vision of exploring new approaches while honoring the jazz tradition. My own compositions offer great improvisational freedom to the players, allowing room to experiment and explore fresh concepts together. The shared vision and the ever-unfolding collective creativity have kept us all engaged and challenged.”

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