"There was something about jazz that pulled me." - An interview with pianist Sean Mason

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 [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

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 [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

"For me, it's connection" - An Interview with Matt White

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 [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

"It's almost mythology, it's so universal" - An Interview with Sarah Sharp

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 [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

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 [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.