Myriam Alter

As a jazz critic, the first thing I notice with Myriam Alter’s latest release, cleverly titled It Takes Two, is a friendly reminder: Alter is not a jazz musician. The music on It Takes Two, as with most of the music from her releases over the years (dating back to the early 1990s), bespeaks of more elemental musical qualities and less so about altered chords (not to mention chord changes), intricate arrangements or rhythmic complexity, all qualities that are typically found in most of the music we call jazz.

Myriam Alter - If (2002) {Enja Records ENJ-9451 2}
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© 2002 Enja Records | ENJ-9451 2
Jazz / Post Bop / Contemporary Jazz

When read as prose, the song titles on If become a poetic tribute to composer Myriam Alter's idealized concept of “Home.” Ten new compositions make up If and are in part inspired by Ms. Alter’s Judeo-Spanish heritage. The arrangements further expand upon her musical lineage by additionally acknowledging modern jazz and classical while prominently featuring Jewish music’s long time relationship with the Argentinean tango. The result is a coherent personal musical statement whose roots run deep and is a breath of fresh air to a world musical realm that at times suffocates in its attempt to be stylish.

Myriam Alter - Where Is There (2007) {Enja Records ENJ-9513 2}
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© 2007 Enja Records | ENJ-9513 2
Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

As on her last two albums, Myriam Alter doesn't play the piano herself on her fifth record, she "merely" composed eight songs and assembled a sextet to perform them: bassist Greg Cohen, drummer Joey Baron, clarinet player John Ruocco (these three were also on her last album, If), pianist Salvatore Bonafede, cellist Jaques Morelenbaum, and soprano saxophonist Pierre Vaiana. And even though she doesn't play a note on the album, her presence is strongly felt at any given time in the compositions that encompass jazz, classical music, and various European influences.

Enja Records presents Ballads 4 - The World. Chet Baker, Abdullah Ibrahim, Jenny Evans, Dusko Goykovich, Walter Norris, Maria João and others.