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Joe Alterman

@joealterman

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Pianist and journalist who has been praised by Ahmad Jamal as "a very special artist," Ramsey Lewis as "an inspiration," and Les McCann as a "bad MF."

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Happy New Year! I figured this is the perfect time to reintroduce myself and share a little more about who I am and what I’m all about. Excited for the year ahead—let’s make 2025 a meaningful one!
📹 @jacobross37 @thenathanlee

#joealterman #piano #jazz #2025 #happynewyear #newyear #jewish #ocd #jazzpiano #judaism #obessivecompulsivedisorder #jazzmusic #pianoplayer #atlanta #atl #nyc #newyork #music taken in Atlanta, Georgia by @joealterman

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2 years ago

I’m excited to share two great new conversations on The Upside of Jazz from @wabeatl!

Last week, saxophonist @tiafuller1 and pianist Shamie Royston (@stroyston) joined me for a beautiful discussion about family, sisterhood, and the musical inheritance they continue to carry forward.

This week, pianist, drummer, composer, and bandleader @luthersallison joins me for a warm and thoughtful conversation about growing up in Charlotte, the influence of gospel, blues, and soul, and the mentors who helped shape his voice.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Hope you enjoy!

#TheUpsideOfJazz #WABE #TiaFuller #ShamieRoyston LutherSAlli by @joealterman

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15 hours ago

I’m thrilled that “Like Someone in Love,” the second single from my upcoming album, “Sincerely Joe: Songs from the Soul,” is out everywhere today!

This project is made up of songs I’ve loved playing for years—songs I keep returning to because they continue to resonate with me and feel so good to play. “Like Someone in Love” may be the most personally meaningful of them all.

My falling in love with this music happened in one second while listening to Ahmad Jamal play this song on “Live at the Blackhawk.” At 3:49–3:50, he plays a quick, impossibly cool melodic twinkle that changed the course of my life. In that moment, I knew this was the music I wanted to spend my life playing.

I’m so happy to share my version today, and I hope you’ll give it a listen. Also, while the full album will be available on streaming August 7, the vinyl records are shipping now and are available through my website. ❤️

🎹 @joealterman
🎻 @nattyschro
🥁 @marlonpatton
📸 @kelseylroberts

#Jazz #JazzPiano #NewMusic #AhmadJamal #PianoMusic by @joealterman

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a day ago

Last night, I played a song I wrote about twelve years ago called “The Last Time I Saw You.” When I wrote it, it was certainly not about the last time I saw my brother Adam. But somehow, when I played it for the first time in a while last night, it was.

Ever since my son Louie was born about a year ago, I’ve been struck by how certain songs I’ve lived with have taken on new meanings; many songs I long associated with romantic love now feel more like expressions of parental love. But I never expected the meaning of a song I had written myself to change, too.

Adam passed away one week ago today. With deep gratitude to all of you who have been so kind to me and my family during this past week, I thought I’d share a little of last night’s rendition of “The Last Time I Saw You,” played with Adam in mind.

Thank you all for your kindness. It means so much. ❤️ taken in Atlanta, Georgia by @joealterman

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3 days ago

Jazz at All Saints’ congratulates our Jazz Advisor, Joe Alterman, on being named Rising Star Pianist of the Year in DownBeat Magazine’s 74th Annual Critics Poll!
 This prestigious recognition celebrates Joe’s exceptional artistry and dedication to jazz. We are proud to have him as part of the Jazz at All Saints’ family. Congratulations, Joe!
 #JoeAlterman #JazzAtAllSaints #DownbeatMagazine by @joealterman

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5 days ago

🎹 JOE ALTERMAN TRIO — THURSDAY, AUGUST 20TH @ 7PM 🎹

Atlanta's own Joe Alterman is one of those rare jazz pianists who makes the music feel effortless and joyful all at once.

Ramsey Lewis calls his playing "a joy to behold." Les McCann says "as a man and musician he is already a giant." DownBeat describes his sound as "rooted in the blues, with a touch reminiscent of the great pianists of the 1950s... Red Garland, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans." He's performed with Houston Person, Les McCann, and Ramsey Lewis, written liner notes for three Wynton Marsalis albums, and hosts his own show on WABE, Atlanta's NPR station, called The Upside of Jazz with Joe Alterman, where he breaks down what makes jazz so timeless and endearing week after week.

And he's ours... born and raised right here in Atlanta.

One month away & his shows ALWAYS sell out! So, if you don't wanna miss it, get your tickets today!

📍 Eddie's Attic | Decatur, GA
📅 Thursday, August 20th
🕖 7:00 PM

Presented in partnership with @wabeatl

Tickets at eddiesattic.com — link in bio.

#eddiesattic #joealterman #jazz #wabe #decatur by @joealterman

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6 days ago

My brother @adamalterman passed away earlier this week after living for several years with multiple system atrophy (MSA), an incredibly cruel disease that he faced with extraordinary strength, determination and optimism.

Adam was 22 years older than me, so although we grew up in the same house, we didn’t grow up there together. By the time I was little, he was already off living a life that seemed incredibly exciting to me. Whenever he and my other older brother, Byron, came over, they seemed to be coming from some adventure or heading off on another one—hiking, traveling or driving across the country to hear some band they loved. I was just beginning to fall in love with music, and hearing the music Adam loved and the stories that came with it completely captured my imagination.

As a kid, I used to dig up beer bottles that Adam and his friends had buried in the woods behind our house years earlier. I didn’t really think of them as beer bottles. To me, they were buried treasure—little clues to the adventurous life my big brother had lived in that house before I came along.

That’s who Adam was: always off having adventures, always doing things his own way, and always fully enjoying his life. Concerts, mountain biking, camping, fishing from a paddleboard. He understood the art of living. And even through the cruelest disease imaginable, he fought so hard to hold on to that. He fought to live and to enjoy living, all the way through.

My son Louie is almost a year old, and over these last few months, bringing him to visit Adam became one of the bright spots for both of them. By then, it had become very hard for Adam to speak, but Louie could still bring some big laughs out of him. Just as Adam’s life captured my imagination when I was little, I hope Louie grows up knowing who his uncle was and understanding what Adam showed all of us: the importance of living life on your own terms, being present for it, and remembering to enjoy it along the way.

I love you, Adam. I’m so grateful I got to have you as my brother. by @joealterman

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8 days ago

In celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, Moment asked musicians, critics, scholars and music lovers to talk about songs written or composed by Jews that help tell the story of America.

We present to you Moment’s “Soundtrack 250: The Music That Make America Sing” which highlights patriotic, iconic or otherwise culturally significant songs—naturally incomplete but 25 songs rich.

Listen as Joe Alterman reflects on the origin of Jewish creativity in the United States and the immeasurable impact of Jewish musicality on the existence of America today.

Alterman and Moment Deputy Editor Jennifer Bardi are the co-editors of Moment’s Soundtrack 250. Head over to momentmag.com, or click the link in our bio to read about and listen to the soundtrack.
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To watch a full recording of this program, click the link in our bio! by @joealterman

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11 days ago

I’m SO excited to announce my upcoming album, “Sincerely Joe: Songs from the Soul.”

Recorded live @birdlandjazz in 2024 with @nattyschro on bass and @marlonpatton on drums, these are songs I’ve loved playing for years. I can’t fully explain why these specific songs resonate so deeply with my soul and feel so good to play, but that special feeling is where the title comes from.

I’ve dreamed for a long time of having my trio on vinyl. “Solo Joe” and “Keep the Line Open” both got there—but not the trio, until now.

The first single—Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely”—is out everywhere today! And while the full album doesn’t hit streaming services until mid-August, the vinyl starts shipping TODAY. That means the records arrive a full month before the world hears the album.

I hope you’ll give “Isn’t She Lovely” a listen. And if you’d like a record sent your way, you can order through Bandcamp at the link in bio—I’d be honored.

Thank you, as always, for listening and for your support. It truly means the world to me. ❤️
📸 @kelseylroberts

#Jazz #JazzPiano #VinylRecords #NewMusic #StevieWonder by @joealterman

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12 days ago

Singer-songwriter Joe Buchanan joins Joe Alterman, executive director of Neranenah, for a conversation about Buchanan’s newest album, “Heaven & Earth,” combining the authentic sound of Texas country with Jewish faith and tradition. Listen as Buchanan discusses how Judaism transformed his life, and how this unique blend has helped him in his mission to bring Jewish joy through music.
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To register for this upcoming program, click the link in our bio! by @joealterman

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13 days ago

One year ago today, “The Upside of Jazz” premiered on @wabeatl.

When the show began, I hoped it would be a chance not only to play great records, but also to explore the stories, people, history, and ideas behind this beautiful music.

Over the past year, I’ve had the joy of speaking with Sonny Rollins, Ron Carter, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Christian McBride, Harry Connick Jr., and many other incredible musicians and thinkers. We’ve explored everything from jazz in Nazi Germany and behind the Iron Curtain to the Black and Jewish experience in American music, hip-hop samples, singers who accompany themselves, humor in jazz, and mentorship. On July 4, we spent an hour with Louis Armstrong and his complicated, deeply meaningful relationship with America.

These are subjects I’ve always happily talked about over lunch with friends anyway. But somehow, I now get to research them, share them, and explore them with remarkable musicians, historians, and all of you as part of my work—and that’s something I do not take for granted.

The performance in this video is of an original song I wrote called “The Upside of Down,” recorded earlier this year @monksjazz in Austin, Texas, with @aidanbergbass on bass and @brandonguerradrums on drums. I wrote the tune during the pandemic while trying to find some good in the bad, and its title and spirit helped inspire the name of the show. And to me, that’s what jazz is: the upside of down.

Huge thanks to everyone at WABE for believing in this show from the very beginning—and thank you for listening!

#TheUpsideOfJazz #Jazz #WABE #JazzPiano PublicRad by @joealterman

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13 days ago

Tonight, @harryconnickjr is in Atlanta at @synovusbankamp, and I can’t wait to hear him live!

Before his visit, I had the pleasure of speaking with him on “The Upside of Jazz” from @wabeatl. This is one of my favorite moments from our conversation, where we talked about the process of finding your own voice and the courage to stop comparing yourself to everyone else.

If you’d like to hear the rest of our conversation, the full episode is available now wherever you get your podcasts (or at the link in my bio).

Enjoy the show if you’re going, and I hope you enjoy the conversation. 🙏

#HarryConnickJr #TheUpsideOfJazz #WABE #Jazz #JazzVocals by @joealterman

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14 days ago