New 3-concert series! Jazz Sessions with Joe Alterman
by Jon Ross
Joe Alterman is a storyteller. For the jazz pianist, whose hard-bop piano improvisations usually seem tinged with a sunny optimism, weaving an informative narrative around the music is a crucial part of performance.
“I've realized how much it can add to the experience,” he said, “both in terms of feeling closer to the music and the person that you're watching.”
He’s not interested in long pedantic digressions about tunes or short, pithy remarks about songs in his setlist; he’s trying to reach an entertaining, thought-provoking middle ground. Talking is part of the structure of his concerts. It’s how he works with the music to create a rewarding and fulfilling evening that leaves the audience with something to ponder, to reflect upon, when the night is over.
But he’s certainly never told stories about classical music.
Starting in January, Alterman and his trio will bring jazz-influenced takes on melodies by Bach, Brahms and Rachmaninoff at the Goizueta Stage for Youth & Families in the Woodruff Arts Center. Presented by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Alterman plans to connect classical melodies to the world of improvisation, breaking down genre barriers for three wide-ranging evenings of music.
“Everyone says these guys improvised, but we didn’t get to hear it,” he said of the classical composers he’s targeted for musical profiles. “They probably didn’t play their pieces the same way every time.”
Alterman’s journey as a jazz musician actually began after years of onerous classical piano study. He can remember as a small child being amazed by the music – even writing letters to the ASO’s leadership to suggest programming – but restrictive piano lessons removed the joy from those early experiences.
“Once I started taking lessons, it just wasn’t the same,” he said. Alterman saw his piano book as a springboard to form what he really wanted to say, using music as a form of expression, not genre study. That didn’t really fit with his piano instructor’s plans. “I just found fun ways to interpret the melodies, like I would do with other tunes.”
Once he moved fully into the jazz realm, he spent years honing his approach to piano, distilling his influences to create a sound all his own. This began in Atlanta, continued through his studies at NYU, and really developed during a many-year stint as a performer in New York City. Now based fully in Atlanta, he still runs up to New York for gigs at Birdland and other historic jazz houses.
“I felt a big pressure growing up to sound like Herbie Hancock,” he said, remembering advice he heard as a young pianist. “It’s like, there's already a Herbie Hancock; why don't you go sound like you?”
A recent album, “Sincerely, Joe,” is actually a live Birdland recording; Alterman is also planning the release of “Snow Day: Music for a Quarter Inch of Snow (Or More).” The next album up is a project two years in the making. “Choose Love,” due out in April, celebrates the life of Les McCann, a piano mentor of Alterman’s who died in 2023. The album includes singer Madeleine Peyroux’s performance of a song co-written by Alterman and McCann called “Don’t Forget to Love Yourself.”
For the Goizueta concerts, Alterman will be joined by drummer Justin Chersarek and bassist Kevin Smith. Chersarek began his 15-year professional association with Alterman on New Year’s Day in 2011. The pianist, who was attending NYU in New York, was looking for a drummer to play on some gigs at the original Churchill Grounds, next to the Fox Theatre. A random email from Alterman seeing if the drummer could play a concert in Atlanta started it all.
“We just really connected musically,” he said. “It was a blast.” Whenever the pianist was back in town, he joined the drummer on gigs, and soon Chesakek was heading up to New York to play on Alterman’s gigs – the first one, at the Iridium with tenor saxophonist Houston Person.
“I’ve learned so much from being around him,” he said, calling Alterman a “recordings nerd” who will more likely than not recommend an album the drummer hasn’t heard.
“He genuinely puts his joy and his passion into what he’s playing,” Chesarek said. “He’s a funny guy, loves comedy. And I feel the humor – the spirit of humor and positivity and play in what he’s doing.”