The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, led by founder and music director Mark Harvey, is celebrating 50 years of music-making with two special performances in the Fall of 2022 as the band kicks off its historic 50th season.
Two Historic Boston Fall Jazz Concert Events
Aardvark opened the 50th season Saturday, October 1, at 7:30 pm, on MIT’s mainstage Kresge Auditorium, with music on themes of social consciousness, spirituality, and Boston cultural history – topics that have long been central to Aardvark concerts. Among the selections were Harvey’s Faces of Souls and Ellington’s It’s Freedom. A highlight was the premiere of Harvey’s latest work, American Agonistes, channeling the moods of sorrow and outrage so characteristic of our times. The concert webcast is now available for viewing.
The October 1 concert was presented by MIT Music & Theater Arts honoring Mark Harvey’s long teaching career at MIT. Dr. Harvey recently retired after serving 40 years on the music faculty. The venue, MIT’s mainstage Kresge Auditorium, was well-suited for Aardvark’s 50th season kickoff, as Kresge was home to Aardvark’s annual Spring concerts for more than 30 years, hosting such notable Aardvark events as the 1986 appearance with guest artist Jaki Byard, the 1999 Duke Ellington Centennial, and the 2019 concert with guest artist Ricky Ford.
Attend a Historic Boston Jazz Christmas Concert
On Saturday, December 10, 7:30 pm, Aardvark 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.