JAZZ WITH JOY:
THE BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

The back cover of the instrumental CD Brisket for Breakfast by the Joe Alterman Trio and their guest, veteran tenor sax man Houston Person, cutely reinforces the album title’s reference to food with two promises worthy of the marriage of a roadside diner and a jazz set. Both using the word “served,” they read, “All dishes served with a side of swing” and “Always served hot!” And no phrases could have served better as concise descriptions. The liner notes add that the performances “go down with the savory warmth of the best comfort food.” So, let’s take these music/food analogies as appreciated appetizers to cue digging into a fuller meal of such verbiage about this instrumental set which is, in a word, delicious.

Joe Alterman & Houston Person (photo by Anna Yatskevitch)

“The Second Time Around” is the first delectable delight, and it immediately indicates that the host pianist puts his guest musician in a priority place, as the tenor sax is heard before the piano enters the arrangement. That’s just like the gracious host of a dinner party politely letting his guest be the first to be brought food. It’s at least the fifth time around with “The Second Time Around” for this reed player, as he’s added his sax seasonings to it on two instrumental albums and two projects with the words sung by a jazz vocalist. In fact, he’s gotten to all but one of the compositions on this set in his voluminous discography that goes back to the 1960s. November 10, 2025, marks his 91st birthday, but at the time of the gigs recorded here, he was a boyish 88 years old. Meanwhile, the man with his able hands on “the 88s” has a birthday six days later, with just 37 candles on the cake. (And there we go, speaking of food again.)

All the ingredients are here for a tasty musical meal. Merry Mr. Alterman is cookin’ with gas with his lively playing, and Mr. Person—who has guested on his albums a few times before—is on all the tracks here and is so prominent that he must be considered an equal “co-chef.” Too many cooks do not spoil the broth here, with the participation of the two men who typically join the keyboardist: bassist Kevin Smith and drummer Justin Chesarek. They don’t get extensive solos to shine, but their team-player talents come through clearly, adding to the aroma of the hearty jazz nutrition.

Joe Alterman & Houston Person (photo by JMF Communications)

The recording is a satisfying seven-course repast (seven songs), but each is kind of a full meal in itself, as six of the tracks are more than seven minutes in length. Yes, these musicians take time to chew on the juicy melodies and let us relax with them and sop up every bit of yumminess and feel sated. There’s enough variety in dynamics, stylings, and tempi to tempt us to be attentive throughout each long track in the casseroles of sounds. These talented gents bring a lot to the table. Nothing feels half-baked. They satisfy your jazz palate, whether you conservatively favor hearing the flavor of a favorite familiar melody as written—in a way you can easily hum or sing along with the tune—or if you drool for a more daring, spicy treatment that doesn’t just follow the traditional recipe. It’s the best of both worlds: both approaches are employed and enjoyed.

Cheer and spunk are the specialties of the house, but the longest track, “Since I Fell for You,” taking a full nine minutes to simmer and marinate, is appropriately bluesy. However, it’s not sad enough to use your napkin to wipe away tears. Oldies that first came into the world as sentimental have more zip here. Some of those may surprise you—namely “Namely You.” You may know it mostly from its original context as a very sweet, blushing courtship confession written for the simple characters in the Broadway show and movie that brought a comic strip to life (Li’l Abner; music by Gene DePaul, words by Johnny Mercer). The liner notes suggest that its inclusion is a nod to its lyricist, in view of the fact that these numbers were recorded in two venues in Georgia, the state he and Joe Alterman both hail from. The latter, who has returned there to live, also seems to reside mostly in the state of happiness in his upbeat, energetic playing, and you’ll often find the word “joy” or “joyful” and similar descriptions in articles and reviews about his performances. He’s quoted as saying, “Our goal with Brisket for Breakfast was to make sure that you can tell that we were smiling while we were playing.” (Mission accomplished!)

Joe Alterman & Houston Person (photo by Fran Kaufman)

The presence of the audience in these live recordings is not intrusive, but their grateful applause is heard as renditions conclude and sometimes midway to acknowledge deft solo spotlights. One extended, charmingly muscular ending gets the kind of appreciative laughter that comes with a bit of awe at someone’s chops and showmanship.

Joe Alterman has previously recorded three of the seven offerings on the bill of fare: “You Are My Sunshine,” “Only Trust Your Heart,” and “That’s All.” He may have been working up an appetite for Brisket for Breakfast. (Parenthetically, he’s previously recorded “Fish This Week (But Next Week Chitlins)” and the breakfast-ready “(Before You Bring Me My Cornbread) Slap Some Butter on That Biscuit)”—two mouth-watering titles. And he released another live set called More Cornbread.) But this album does not include any numbers directly related to food, in case you were suspecting/expecting similar entrées to enter the picture.

Although the liner notes mention the songwriters of three pieces—such as noting that the included “Never Let Me Go” is the one written by Joe Scott, not the more widely covered standard of the same name—the remaining songs’ writers aren’t credited on the CD. This kind of omission happens too often on recordings nowadays. Of course, many customers will gobble up this Brisket and other music digitally without the benefit of printed words providing such information.

Piano, saxophone, bass, drums; solid songs, aged well—the cream of the crop; mix thoroughly, blend in pizzazz, sprinkle with creativity. No need to let cool. It’s already cool—despite, as the packaging says, “Always served hot!”