{"title":"Myriam Alter","description":"\u003cp\u003eMyriam Alter's studies in classical music started at age eight. After graduating high school and successfully pursuing a psychology degree from the University of Brussels, she drifted away from the regular practicing of her instrument, and instead chose to work at an advertising agency for seven years. After that, without really being aware of it, she went back to music by opening a dancing school that she managed for another seven years. This was when she really felt the need to start studying the piano again. Her innate attraction to improvised music brought her very naturally to jazz. She started to study on her own and then later with two Americans, the saxophonist John Ruocco and pianist Denis Luxion. Finally it was Dutch bass player Hein van de Geyn, who had been following her career closely, who became the producer of her first three records.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlaying mainly jazz standards, Myriam Alter first formed a quartet, then a quintet together with Belgian musicians. After working with this formation for some time, she started to write her own music. When she started to feel comfortable with her music and began to achieve recognition through it, she decided to record a first album with saxophonist Ben Sluys, trumpeter Gino Lattuca, bassist Michel Benita, and drummer Jan de Haes, while she herself played piano. This successful album was followed by another, with the same musicians except Stefan Lievestro playing bass instead of Michel Benita. This second album was also well-received, with the press especially emphasizing Myriam's gift for composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe idea of making an international album was established, and so Alter Ego was recorded in New York in 1997 with saxophonist and clarinetist Billy Drewes, trumpeter Ron Miles, pianist Kenny Werner, bassist Marc Johnson, and drummer Joey Baron. While Myriam left the piano seat to Kenny Werner, the quintet played exclusively Myriam Alter compositions. Then came the time to write music that would really express her background and identity. The resulting album was her Enja Records debut, If.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.myriamalter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa fa-globe fa-3x\"\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n","products":[{"product_id":"crossways-2","title":"Crossways","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCrossways is composer\/pianist Myriam Alter's third production for Enja Records (licensed to Justin Time Records in North America).  Her mother grew up in Saloniki, which has given Greece some of its greatest musicians, artists, poets and thinkers, thus providing a rich background for Alter to draw upon. Her father was born in Istanbul and lived there until he was seventeen when he moved to Belgium. Being brought up around these different cultural influences left an imprint on Alter and has influenced her music and compositions throughout her life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e Alter gathered a standout ensemble, with diverse cultural backgrounds like her own, to come from all over the world to produce the tight overall sound on Crossways. At the center of the music is Italian accordion virtuoso Luciano Biondin. He is joined by American (now Netherlands based) clarinetist John Ruocco, who fulfills an important soloist role in a similar fashion to his role on Alter's previous albums. Belgian bassist Nic Thys always impresses with his strong acoustic bass foundation, and the liquid tuba of Belgian Michel Massot will be a discovery for many. The creative young Dutch percussionist Landers Gyselinck provides steady rhythmic support and is making a name for himself in both the jazz and the avant-garde rock scene, and Italian Michel Bisceglia provides subtle, crisp piano solos with his arrangements that truly balance and support the compositions. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \"I chose Crossways because of my own upbringing, I came from a Judeo-Spanish family and lived in Belgium,\" says Alter. \"Once you add that to the background of these musicians, all those cultures meet in the music.\" Crossways not only refers to the diversity and eclecticism in the musicians backgrounds but also to the instrumentation for the album. The unique combination of accordion, clarinet, and tuba along with the traditional instrumentation adds a distinctive element to Alter's music that is undeniable and also adds succinctly to the warm melodies throughout the recording.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAlthough most of the performances were improvised, the melodies were arranged to evoke a certain feeling of peacefulness and tranquility. For Alter, it's the feelings of nostalgia in the arrangements that provoke these feelings that she hopes draw the listener back. \"I want these melodies to create a warm and loving feeling so the melody really sticks with the listener,\" explains the composer.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe album concludes with a beautiful and spontaneous solo piano piece performed by Alter, dedicated to Mal Waldron. The two met in Brussels and had become good friends with Alter inviting him to workshops, taking lessons with him and watching him perform on a weekly basis. The moving performance serves as a fantastic end of to this exciting production. Crossways is sure to be a landmark recording for this composer\/pianist. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Myriam Alter","offers":[{"title":"Digital Download","offer_id":39513588793504,"sku":"0068944859450","price":9.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":39518207639712,"sku":"","price":15.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0537\/8477\/2768\/products\/61a597b3-7153-4fd9-a3d3-fee5dc523ba74937025154116466059-LARGE_214cf35d-f030-4d16-9505-1eec9f70cc03.jpg?v=1616134374"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0537\/8477\/2768\/collections\/MyriamAlter.jpg?v=1616162216","url":"https:\/\/justin-time-records.myshopify.com\/collections\/myriam-alter.oembed","provider":"Justin Time Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}