The Upside of Jazz

WABE

Atlanta-based jazz pianist Joe Alterman expresses his deep appreciation of jazz and swing in his performances and compositions. Now he shares that love of jazz on The Upside of Jazz, celebrating the legendary performers of jazz and exploring what makes the music so timeless and endearing to listeners.

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29 episodes
Updated Saturday

Episodes29

Newest first

Saturday · 31 min
Larry Goldings - "That makes the challenge of being myself harder"
Joe talks with pianist and organist Larry Goldings about finding his own sound while playing a range of styles with a variety of people, "Rhombus," Goldings's new album with guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Bill Stewart, and how being able to listen back to a recording of yourself is both a blessing and a curse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 25 · 33 min
Luther S. Allison - "It's a gift to be able to love this"
Joe and pianist/drummer Luther S. Allison sit down for a discussion about exploring jazz by learning how to play different instruments, how the places you live shape the kind of music you play, and how the hope he finds in jazz is through its connection to the history of the United States. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 18 · 20 min
Tia Fuller and Shamie Fuller-Royston - "We've always embraced all types of genres"
Pianist Tia Fuller and saxophonist Shamie Fuller-Royston have a chat with Joe about playing music as a family when they were kids and now together as adults, their latest album, "Dynasty, Vol. 2," and how, as long as the music is good, they embrace all genres. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 9 · 27 min
Harry Connick, Jr. on Finding Your Own Sound
Joe sits down for a conversation with pianist, singer, actor, bandleader, and author, Harry Connick, Jr. to talk about learning piano from James Booker and Ellis Marsalis in New Orleans, musical influences, and the importance of accepting what one has to offer when looking for your own sound. If you’re listening in Atlanta, catch Harry Connick, Jr. in concert at Chastain Park on July 11 at 8 p.m. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 4 · 23 min
Louis Armstrong & America's Voice
To celebrate the United States’ 250th, Joe Alterman explores the remarkable story of Louis Armstrong — how America found its voice in him, how he became one of its greatest ambassadors to the world, and why that voice continues to resonate today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 27 · 42 min
The Business Behind the Notes
Joe explores the important, prolific, and complicated relationship between Jewish immigrants and Black musicians — and how their intersecting stories helped give birth to the American music business and shape what Americans listened to throughout the 20th century. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 20 · 25 min
The Sound Between the Notes
Joe shares the history of how the sounds of Jewish and Black communities came together and ended up shaping the sound of American music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 13 · 21 min
Matt White - "For me, it's connection"
In the next episode of The Upside of Jazz featuring artists out of the South, Joe has a conversation with Columbia, South Carolina native, trumpeter, composer, and educator Matt White about how music swings just a little differently from city to city, his latest album of Dolly Parton songs, "Matt White's Dolly," and how the care put into learning jazz empowers musicians to learn any kind of music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 6 · 26 min
Sarah Sharp - "It's almost mythology, it's so universal"
In the first of two episodes featuring artists out of the South, Joe talks with Austin, Texas-based vocalist Sarah Sharp about sitting down and listening to multiple versions of the same song to learn how nuanced different artists' interpretations can be, the jazz scene in Austin, and her new album, "Déjà Vu." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 30 · 27 min
An Interview with Sonny Rollins
This week we revisit one of Sonny Rollins's final interviews recorded in October 2025, when Joe Alterman sat down for a conversation with the Saxophone Colossus himself. Sonny Rollins passed away on May 25, 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 23 · 19 min
Sean Mason - "There was something about jazz that pulled me"
Joe and pianist Sean Mason get together for a chat in which Sean explains why he believes the 20s are the most underrated jazz era, making the piano dance, and how Sean didn't feel like himself in the fullest sense until he started playing jazz. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 16 · 39 min
Bobby Broom - "It is who I am"
Joe and guitarist Bobby Broom talk about his latest album featuring Sonny Rollins' compositions, "Notes of Thanks," 16-year-old Broom getting his start alongside Sonny Rollins, and making a career in jazz in Chicago instead of New York City. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 9 · 34 min
Finding the Humor in Jazz
Joe looks behind the serious face that jazz sometimes puts on and uncovers a world of silliness, both on and off the stage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 2 · 44 min
Julie Benko and Jason Yeager - "I find my spirituality in the doing of the theater"
Host Joe Atlerman invites Julie Benko and Jason Yeager to the show to talk about finding spirituality in music and theater, how to define Jewish music, and traditions built on questioning and listening. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 25 · 33 min
Charles Tolliver - "Each note has a declaration"
Joe Alterman and trumpeter Charles Tolliver chat about revisiting Tolliver's debut album as band leader, "Right Now... And Then," for its recent remixing and reissue, knowing he was going to be a trumpet player no matter what, and "rumbling" through improvisation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 18 · 50 min
Pat Metheny - "I tend to think of music as just one thing"
Guitarist Pat Metheny joins Joe Alterman to share his thoughts on being a musician in a time of AI, how he developed his understanding of playing an instrument, and how sometimes the music finds us instead of the other way around. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 11 · 41 min
John Pizzarelli - "Communication is so key to what the music's about"
Guitarist/Vocalist John Pizzarelli and host Joe Alterman sit down to talk about Pizzarelli's career — including growing up and working alongside his father, jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli — learning not just how to play guitar but entertain, and his new Tony Bennett tribute album, "Dear Mr. Bennett." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 4 · 23 min
Randy Johnston - "It all feels personal to me"
Joe Alterman has a conversation with guitarist Randy Johnston about improvisation (and if that's what makes jazz jazz), if there's a connection between jam bands and jazz music, and what it means to be the side man. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
March 28 · 36 min
Jazz Behind the Iron Curtain
Today he plays jazz, tomorrow he betrays the motherland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
March 21 · 34 min
Oliver Wood - "My favorite thing is not knowing how it's going to come out"
Guitarist Oliver Wood (who happens to be Joe's guitar teacher from years ago) and Joe talk about the joy of being surprised by the music you make as well as Wood's career, including touring with Tinsley Ellis, playing with King Johnson, and form The Wood Brothers with his brother Chris. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.