Pic(k) of the Week: Joe Alterman

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Atlanta-based pianist Joe Alterman and his trio delivered a rollicking performance at the Inman Park Festival.

Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
26 April 2026.

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Joe Alterman

Joe Alterman is an Atlanta-based jazz pianist, composer, and storyteller known for blending joyful swing, deep groove, and heartfelt narrative into every performance. A bandleader with an international touring career, Alterman has performed across the U.S. and Europe and released numerous acclaimed albums spanning solo piano, trio, and soul-inflected jazz. Deeply influenced by mentors such as Les McCann, Ramsey Lewis, and Ahmad Jamal, his music emphasizes melody, feel, and emotional connection over flash. In addition to performing, Alterman is a radio host on Atlanta’s NPR affiliate WABE and a sought-after cultural curator, weaving history, humor, and humanity into his concerts. Whether on stage or over the airwaves, his mission is simple: to remind listeners that jazz is joyful, accessible, and very much alive.

📷 More photos of Alterman and his trio: here.

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Inman Park Festival

The Inman Park Festival & Tour of Homes takes place in Inman Park, one of Atlanta’s oldest and most scenic neighborhoods. First developed in the late 1800s, Inman Park features an abundance of historic homes and several scenic parks.

The Festival began in the early 1970s as a means to attract attention for revitalization efforts in the community. Now, it is a full weekend jam-packed with events: music, kids' activities, a Tour of Homes, a marvelous street parade, an artists’ market, not to mention some of the city’s best people-watching. It is organized annually by the Inman Park Neighborhood Association on the last full weekend in April.

📷 More festival photos: here.

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Joe Alterman: Blue Moon

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Pic(k) of the Week: Winter fiddleheads

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Fiddleheads of Christmas ferns unfurl in late winter. Spring is nascent.

Glenn Creek Nature Preserve
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
12 March 2026.

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Christmas Fern

Polystichum acrostichoides, commonly denominated Christmas fern, is a perennial, evergreen fern native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to Florida and eastern Texas. It is one of the most common ferns in eastern North America, being found in moist and shady habitats in woodlands, stream banks and rocky slopes. Christmas fern has a tufted, clumping habit, with its fronds arising from a central growth point. It can form colonies, but frequently grows singly or in twos or threes. The common name derives from the evergreen fronds, which are often still green in winter, at Christmas.

— Wikipedia

🔥 Unlike Ostrich ferns, whose cooked fiddleheads are edible, the fiddleheads of Christmas ferns are NOT EDIBLE and can be toxic if ingested. Observe; don't forage!
— Old Farmer's Almanac.

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Wayne Shorter: Footprints

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Pic(k) of the Week: Poppy field

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In early morning, wild red poppies (Papaver rhoeas) bloom in an urban meadow.

Seen along the 19-mile Stone Mountain Trail — here, located on the Eastern Continental Divide in the City of Clarkston, Georgia, USA.

13 April 2026.

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Oliver Nelson: Stolen Moments

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Pic(k) of the Week: It's a hazy, hazy sunrise.

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Looking southeast from the summit of monadnock Arabia Mountain, one could see a noticeable (yet lovely) haze just after sunrise, produced by a combination of high humidity, 50% cloud cover, and air rife with pollen.

DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
3 April 2026 (8:06 am EDT).

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Ella Fitzgerald: I'm Beginning to See the Light

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Pic(k) of the Week: Diamorpha daybreak

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Tiny crimson diamorpha wildflowers, blooming at sunrise, near the summit of Arabia Mountain monadnock *.

DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
3 April 2026 (7:37 am EDT).

Diamorpha smallii — commonly known as diamorpha, elf orpine, or Small's stonecrop — belongs to the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae), in the Sedum species of plants: succulents possessing thick, fleshy sections which retain water, allowing them to survive in drought conditions.

Diamorpha smalli is endemic to the southeastern United States, where the densest populations appear in Georgia, particularly in Panola Mountain State Park and the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. Two to four inches in height, Diamorpha smallii grows in areas with granite surfaces, appearing in vernal pools (seasonal puddles of water contained by rock or dirt) and solution pits (thin patches of dirt isolated on rock outcrops), adapted to survive in harsh conditions, including high temperatures and limited soil.

Hidden most of the year, Diamorpha smallii emerge in late winter, producing dense rosettes of tiny red succulent leaves. Then, in late March, the plants produce small white flowers (~ ¼ inch). As temperatures rise, the plants lose their bright red color, taking on the appearance of little brown stems sticking up from the ground, holding on to their seeds to forestall dessication during the hottest months of the year. The seeds drop and germinate in autumn.

— Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance.
— Scott Ranger's Nature Notes.
— Wikipedia.

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Dizzy Gillespie: Tin Tin Deo

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