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.

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.

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 ofJazz,celebrating the legendary performers of jazz and exploring what makes the music so timeless and endearing to listeners.

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.

The Upside of Jazz

An Interview with Sonny Rollins

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.

Joe explores the important, prolific, and complicated relationship between Jewish immigrants and Black musicians &mdash; and how their intersecting stories helped give birth to the American music business and shape what Americans listened to throughout the 20th century.

The Business Behind 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.

Joe shares the history of how the sounds of Jewish and Black communities came together and ended up shaping the sound of American music.

The Sound Between the Notes

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.

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&nbsp; how the care put into learning jazz empowers musicians to learn any kind of music.

An Interview with Sonny Rollins

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The Upside of Jazz

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