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Joe Alterman: Give Me The Simple Life
ByAlterman pegs this pithy, airy style to its core on his second recording, Give Me The Simple Life. Effortless and bottomless swing characterizes trio performances of "An Affair to Remember" from the 1957 film of the same title, the Hammerstein/Kern compositions "Why Do I Love You" and "They Say It's Spring," recalling the great Garland-Chambers-Art Taylor recordings for Prestige in the late '50s. These are quaint, conservative and in the vernacular. Alterman is not so much a throwback, as he is a purveyor of this well-established style of jazz performance.
But Alterman can rock when necessary, as he does on the opening "Georgia On My Mind" with tenor saxophonist Houston Pearson, Oscar Peterson's "Kelly's Blues" and his own blues, "Biscuits." Here, Alterman gets his Gene Harris on, showing off all of his blues chops, driven by drummer Herlin Riley. The remainder of the disc is devoted to ballads, "The First Night Home," "Pure Imagination" and "I'm Yours" all capture those brush-driven show song vehicles that will forever demonstrate the importance of the Great American Songbook and those who plumb it.
Track Listing
Georgia On My Mind; Give Me The Simple Life; The First Night Home; Pure Imagination; An Affair To Remember; I Guess I'll Have To Dream The Rest; Kelly's Blues; Why Try To Change Me Now?; Why Do I Love You?; Biscuits; They Say It's Spring; I'm Yours.
Personnel
Joe Alterman
pianoJoe Alterman: piano; James Cammack: bass; Herlin Riley: drums; Houston Person: tenor saxophone (1, 3, 6, 7).
Album information
Title: Give Me The Simple Life | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: Miles High Records
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