Joe Alterman: Give Me The Simple Life (2012)

C. Michael Bailey

Senior Contributor since 1997

...wants to know if Gene Harris is playing "Summertime" in Heaven...

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Published: July 17, 2012

Bruce Lindsey, in his review of Joe Alterman's Give Me The Simple Life, notes that the young pianist has..."the feel of a musician who's been immersed in his chosen music for decades." Citing Erroll Garner Erroll Garner
1921 - 1977
piano , Oscar Peterson Oscar Peterson
1925 - 2007
piano and Red Garland Red Garland
1923 - 1984
piano as influences, Altman betrays influences that further give bona fides to his experience beyond youth. Chief among these influences is Garland, who held the piano chair in Miles Davis Miles Davis
1926 - 1991
trumpet ' first great quintet with John Coltrane John Coltrane
1926 - 1967
saxophone , Paul Chambers Paul Chambers
1935 - 1969
bass, acoustic and Philly Joe Jones Philly Joe Jones
1923 - 1985
drums .

Alterman pegs this pithy, airy style to its core on his second recording, Give Me The Simple Life. Effortless and bottomless swing characterizes trio performances of "An Affair to Remember" from the 1957 film of the same title, the Hammerstein/Kern compositions "Why Do I Love You" and "They Say It's Spring," recalling the great Garland-Chambers-Art Taylor Art Taylor
1929 - 1995
drums recordings for Prestige in the late '50s. These are quaint, conservative and in the vernacular. Alterman is not so much a throwback, as he is a purveyor of this well-established style of jazz performance.

But Alterman can rock when necessary, as he does on the opening "Georgia On My Mind" with tenor saxophonist Houston Pearson, Oscar Peterson's "Kelly's Blues" and his own blues, "Biscuits." Here, Alterman gets his Gene Harris Gene Harris
1933 - 2000
piano on, showing off all of his blues chops, driven by drummer Herlin Riley Herlin Riley
b.1957
drums . The remainder of the disc is devoted to ballads, "The First Night Home," "Pure Imagination" and "I'm Yours" all capture those brush-driven show song vehicles that will forever demonstrate the importance of the Great American Songbook and those who plumb it.

Track Listing: Georgia On My Mind; Give Me The Simple Life; The First Night Home; Pure Imagination; An Affair To Remember; I Guess I'll Have To Dream The Rest; Kelly's Blues; Why Try To Change Me Now?; Why Do I Love You?; Biscuits; They Say It's Spring; I'm Yours.

Personnel: Joe Alterman: piano; James Cammack: bass; Herlin Riley: drums; Houston Person: tenor saxophone.

Record Label: Miles High Records
Style: Straight-ahead/Mainstream