Jazz Articles about Joe Alterman

About Joe Alterman

Radio & Podcasts

Joe Alterman on Mentors, the Blue Note, and Keeping Jazz Joyful

by Mike Jones
August 10, 2026

Joe Alterman fell for jazz at his dad's backyard barbecues... Wes Montgomery and Oscar Peterson over the steaks. He's spent his life chasing that same high. A 37-year-old pianist from Atlanta, Alterman talks with Mike Jones about coming up through an internship at the Blue Note, where his first assignment was keeping McCoy Tyner company for two hours, and how that hustle turned into friendships with his heroes. He tells the story of meeting Les McCann, who took ...

Radio & Podcasts

End Of Month Keyboard Special With Music From Ethan Iverson, Karla Harris and Joe Alterman, Richard "Groove" Holmes, and Others

by David W. Daniels
June 30, 2026

In addition to those named in the title, keyboard music from Brian Charette, Mary Lou Williams, Azymuth, Scott Kinsey, and others is included in this month's keyboard special.Playlist Bill Evans “Nardis" from Explorations (Riverside) 00:00 Brian Charette “Ceora" from Working Out With Big G (SteepleChase) 7:23 Karla Harris and Joe Alterman “Blue Skies" from Moon To Gold (CD Baby) 17:16 Ethan Iverson “Bouncing With Bud" from Bud Powell In The 21st Century (Sunnyside) 20:58 Bud Powell “Blues For ...

Live Review

Joe Alterman, Adam Dorn and Special Guests at Rizzoli Bookstore

by Paul Reynolds
May 11, 2026

Joe Alterman and Adam Dorn (aka Mocean Worker) and special guests Rizzoli Bookstore Les McCann Tribute / All About Jazz 30th Anniversary Party New York, NY May 3, 2026 A landmark birthday calls for a party, preferably with live music. And that's just what was thrown for All About Jazz on Sunday to celebrate the website's 30 years of history. In remarks to open the festivities, AAJ founder--and still the site's publisher--Michael ...

Album Review

Jonathan Karrant with The Joe Alterman Trio: Live In Concert

Read "Live In Concert" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
February 21, 2026

There is a unique honesty that only a live recording can reveal, and on Live in Concert, vocalist Jonathan Karrant and pianist Joe Alterman embrace that truth with confidence, grace, and genuine joy. Recorded during a performance at The Smith Center in Las Vegas, the album captures not just a series of songs but the authentic musical connection these two artists have built over the years. From the very beginning, it is clear that Karrant and Alterman share ...

Album Review

Joe Alterman & Mocean Worker: Keep The Line Open

Read "Keep The Line Open" reviewed by Andy Crowther

by Andy Crowther
September 26, 2025

The spirit of the late, great pianist Les McCann is revived and respected in Keep The Line Open from Mocean Worker (aka Adam Dorn) and Joe Alterman. Bassist-producer Dorn and pianist-composer Alterman are uniquely placed to record a tribute to their mentor and friend McCann. Dorn's father Joel worked with McCann at Atlantic Records producing classics such as Swiss Movement, then Adam himself formed a relationship with McCann over long phone conversations, even playing with him on tour. ...

Interview

Joe Alterman: Swinging Success

by R.J. DeLuke
October 5, 2021

It was 2012 when pianist Joe Alterman was preparing to play at the famed Blue Note jazz club in lower Manhattan, not far from where he went to college, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in music. Alterman was checking the sound. The club was basically empty. An older man came in, wheelchair-bound, heading toward the stage. Alterman knew who he was. Hell, he was the opening act for the older gentleman. But Alterman “knew" Les McCann ...

Radio & Podcasts

Joe Alterman: Seeking wisdom from the masters

by Leo Sidran
September 20, 2021

In this episode, pianist Joe Alterman talks about his new record The Upside of Down, southern charm, “finding in jazz and black music what [he] had tried to find in Synagogue," tipping the doorman, being born 50 years too late, playing for regular people, using adversity as an opportunity, what he learned from his friendships with Ramsey Lewis, Les McCann, Nat Hentoff, and Ahmad Jamal.Joe is a southern guy with a sunny disposition. He came from Atlanta, and ...