The Jazz Voyager
Not too often do I get a chance to see a friend perform, so this week is a rare treat in the travels of this Jazz Voyager. From the Emerald City in the Pacific Northwest I’m off to the Midwest’s Queen City to take a seat in the audience at Caffè Vivace. Coffee house or alternate work space by day, this cool little venue is a cool little jazz lounge by night, Tuesday through Saturday. Located in the Walnut Hills neighborhood is where the music of young and old local and national acts emanates on evenings such as this.
This sojourn leads me to see a talented musician I met years ago in Atlanta who is known in the jazz world as Joe Alterman. Surrounded by seating positioned to take in every aspect of his performance, the pianist delivers good sound music while others struggle between tradition and progression. Hopefully I’ll get to hear a few, songs you kinda know, off his new album by the same name.
Caffè Vivace’s address is 975 E McMillan Street, Cincinnati, OH 45206. For more information visit www.caffevivace.com.
More Posts: adventure,club,genius,jazz,music,piano,preserving,travel
GARY MOTLEY QUARTET
The quartet led by pianist Gary Motley, whose exceptional skills as a performer, composer, and arranger have made him an indispensable leader in the nation’s jazz community. His compositions have premiered at national and international festivals, and his achievements have been lauded by multiple organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts. Well known to music audiences locally as both a headliner and an accompanist, Gary is also beloved on the Emory campus as a professor and the founding director of the University’s Jazz Studies program.
This is the first concert of the 2024~2025 series presented by Jazz at All Saints Episcopal Atlanta
Cover: $25 Adult | $15.00 Student
More Posts: adventure,bandleader,genius,instrumental,jazz,music,piano,preserving,travel
PATRICIA BARBER
Songwriter, composer, singer, and pianist, was born in Chicago and her father Floyd was a jazz saxophonist who played with Bud Freeman and Glenn Miller. She played saxophone and piano from a young age, sang in musicals in high school, and studied piano at the University of Iowa in the early 1970s. From there Barber went to Chicago and began performing regularly in bars and clubs. She won a Guggenheim Fellowship in music composition in 2003, an unusual accomplishment for someone working in the field of popular songwriting.
The Band: Patricia Barber – piano, vocals | Emma Dayhuff – bass | Greg Artry – drums | Neal Alger – guitar
Cover: $27.75 ~ $37.75
More Posts: adventure,bandleader,club,genius,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano,preserving,travel,vocal
JOE ALTERMAN
Atlanta native Joe Alterman expresses a certain upbeat naivete, with a broad smile and bright eyes that make you feel welcome. One would not guess that this is a man hailed by greats; Ramsey Lewis describes his piano playing as ‘a joy to behold’, Les McCann states ‘As a man and musician he is already a giant’. Journalist Nat Hentoff championed three of Alterman’s albums, as well as his writing (Joe wrote liner notes to three Wynton Marsalis/JALC albums, calling one of Joe’s columns “one of the very best pieces on the essence of jazz, the spirit of jazz, that I’ve ever read, and I’m not exaggerating.”
A fresh and joyful intent is captured on Joe Alterman’s new release The Upside Of Down. Taken from two live shows at Birdland in November 2019 and February 2020, the album reminds us of a not-too-distant time when we gathered and danced. Joined by Nathaniel Schroeder on bass and Marlon Patton on drums, Alterman cruises gently and delightedly through timeless selections from Les McCann, Oscar Peterson, Henry Mancini and more, with some of his compositions in the mix.
The Band: Joe Alterman – piano | Dennis Carroll – bass | George Fludas – drums
Cover: $27.75 ~ $37.75
More Posts: adventure,bandleader,club,genius,jazz,music,piano,preserving,travel
JOE ALTERMAN
Joe Alterman began at NYU with a BA and Masters in Jazz Piano, followed by performances with Houston Person, Les McCann, Dick Gregory, and Ramsey Lewis. Downbeat describes his sound as ‘ rooted in the blues, and with a touch reminiscent of the great pianists of the 1950s—Red Garland, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans. It is clear Joe hits all of the necessary points for Jazz critics and fans alike.
But there is more to the story, of course. The twenty-first century has thus far seen yet another transition for this thing called Jazz. In one moment we see the push and pull between tradition and progression, and in another we see Pop and Hip-Hop musicians emulating and sampling. In Joe Alterman we find none of this struggle; the music just sounds good. Our conscious faculties are instantly disabled as we tap our feet, feeling the intent and joy of his playing. An old classic is new when you feel good in the moment.
The Band: Joe Alterman — piano | Aaron Jacobs — bass | Jim Leslie — drums
Cover: $20.00
More Posts: adventure,bandleader,club,genius,history,music,piano,preserving,travel