“We made this recording and then the pandemic hit, and it wasn’t ’til around April of 2020 when I basically had more time than ever to sit at the piano, with nothing to prepare for,” said Alterman. He joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes via Zoom to talk about the album and some stories of his encounters with jazz greats such as Ramsey Lewis, Les McCann, Ahmad Jamal, and Oscar Peterson.Ī burst of upbeat music in a difficult time: Alterman’s new release is called “ The Upside of Down“. Jazz legend Ramsey Lewis once called Atlanta pianist Joe Alterman’s style “happy music with meat on the bones.” Les McCann, who lent his talents in collaboration on Alterman’s new album, called him “mind-blowing.” Decades younger than his heroes, Alterman has a knack both for classic, authentic, joyful jazz and for fostering real connections with musicians who defined earlier generations of music.
