You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians

Cozy songs for fall, handpicked by two jazz pianists who take sweater weather very seriously. From Shirley Horn and Norah Jones to D’Angelo, Nick Drake and a surprisingly cozy cut from Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/ Learn to play tracks from You'll Hear It. Join the You'll Hear It Players Club: https://yhi.link/players-club Listen to You'll Hear It's Cozy Tracks playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ycSY0KpOjFS7t09xvLrk6?si=zmBkMFNlSPW75zpKfqzrdg ------------------------------ About You'll Hear It: Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin unpack popular albums track-by-track in this weekly listening party. They talk about what their trained ears hear in the music, offering audiences a new window into the records they love. 00:00 The coziest tunes we know 01:33 Peter starts strong 03:11 Sweater weather in a song 04:49 A new voice, an old favorite 06:38 Can the open road be cozy? 09:14 Saxophone…

Even if you don't recognize his name, you've heard his sound. Jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove played trumpet on, and contributed arrangements to, D'Angelo's Voodoo, Common's Like Water for Chocolate, and Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun. He was equally at home with neo-soul and hip-hop, and straight-ahead acoustic jazz. At the same time he was contributing to era-defining Soulquarian projects, he was producing music with his jazz quintet. Today, jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin listen to his 2008 masterpiece Earfood and explore why it may be the perfect jazz album for the jazz-curious neo-soul fan. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/ ------------------------------- Learn to talk like a jazz musician. Download the Liner Notes FREE today: https://yhi.link/earfood ------------------------------- Learn to play tracks from You'll Hear It. Join the You'll Hear It Players Club: https://yhi.link/players-club ------------------------------- 📞 Send us a…

Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin dig into the You'll Hear It mailbag, answering your questions and checking out the tunes you always wanted them to hear. Plus, a trivia round inspired by your comments. ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/ ------------------------------- Learn to talk like a jazz musician. Download the Liner Notes FREE today: https://youllhearit.com/newsletter ------------------------------- Learn to play tracks from You'll Hear It. Join the You'll Hear It Players Club: https://yhi.link/players-club ------------------------------- 📞 Send us a message: https://youllhearit.com/ ------------------------------ About You'll Hear It: Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin unpack popular albums track-by-track in this weekly listening party. They talk about what their trained ears hear in the music, offering audiences a new window into the records they love. 00:00 The You'll Hear It mailbag…

D'Angelo's Black Messiah is one of the greatest albums of the 21st century. You can hear his musical influences all over it: Prince's arrangements, the Bee Gees' falsettos, Jimi Hendrix's guitar, Sly's groove. But the alchemy that makes Black Messiah so powerful could only come from one mind: D'Angelo, the artist who gave us Voodoo and Brown Sugar. Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin unpack D'Angelo's Black Messiah track by track, detailing what their trained ears hear in the music, and highlighting new textures, harmonies, and song structures you may have missed on the first listen. Plus, Peter shares stories about his friendship and working relationship with legendary trumpet player Roy Hargrove. ------------------------------ Adam shows you how to play D'Angelo's "Really Love". Get the lesson: https://yhi.link/really-love ------------------------------- Learn to talk like a jazz musician. Download the Liner Notes FREE today: https://yhi.link/linernotes-6 ------------------------------- Start your…

Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin play each other their favorite Ahmad Jamal tunes to build the ULTIMATE Ahmad Jamal playlist. Learn to play tracks from You'll Hear It. Join the You'll Hear It Players Club: https://yhi.link/players-club ------------------------------- Learn to talk like a jazz musician. Download the Liner Notes FREE today: https://yhi.link/linernotes-5 ------------------------------- Watch Ahmad Jamal at Studio 61: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KFMLNop0_g&t=607s ------------------------------- 📞 Send us a message: https://youllhearit.com/ ------------------------------- Listen to the Ultimate playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1TvAf7P7H5JvG0hP0SJth9?si=vH8EJXmHS4mGw8eWm0BqnA ------------------------------ About You'll Hear It: Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin unpack popular albums track-by-track in this weekly listening party. They talk about what their trained ears hear in the music, offering audiences a new window into the records they love. 00:00…

Waltz for Debby is the sound that all "boring coffeehouse jazz" tries to imitate, but none can replicate. Featuring Bill Evans on piano, Scott LaFaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums, this 1962 live album has become the template for every AI jazz playlist. And yet, it stands apart as one of the greatest jazz piano trio albums of all time. Pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin listen to the full album, track-by-track, describing what they hear in the music that lends this album its undeniable humanity. ------------------------------- Learn to play tracks from You'll Hear It. Join the You'll Hear It Players Club: https://yhi.link/players-club ------------------------------- Learn to talk like a jazz musician. Download the Liner Notes FREE today: https://yhi.link/linernotes-4 ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/ ------------------------------- 📞 Send us a message: https://youllhearit.com/ 00:00 Bill Evans, Waltz for…

Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin take turns playing each other songs, and the goal is to get the biggest involuntary reaction out of the other guy. Along the way, they break down what's actually happening in the music. In a final round, they have to sit through their opponent's pick without cracking. Who gets the best reactions? You decide. Share your verdict in the comments. Listen to the playlist: https://tinyurl.com/3cmnby37 ------------------------------- Learn to play Led Zeppelin's "The Ocean". Join the You'll Hear It Players Club: https://yhi.link/the_ocean ------------------------------- Learn to talk like a jazz musician. Download the Liner Notes FREE today: https://yhi.link/linerNotes-3 ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/ ------------------------------- 📞 Send us a message: https://youllhearit.com/ ------------------------------ About You'll Hear It: Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin…

Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin unpack Radiohead's 2007 masterpiece 'In Rainbows', track-by-track. Hear about the harmonies, odd time signatures, Thom Yorke's singing technique and the production choices that give this album its sound. And learn why many of the musical choices made for 'In Rainbows' are strange for an album that hit #1 on the US and UK charts, and sold three million copies. If you're hearing 'In Rainbows' for the first time, you're not alone. So is Peter! And if you're a Radiohead fan (like Adam), watch for Peter's reaction to, and verdict on, your favorite tracks. ------------------------------- Learn to play "Weird Fishes", even if you've never played a note. Led by You'll Hear It co-host Adam Maness, this special lesson is simple enough to follow, even for absolute beginners. You've spent an hour listening to Adam and Peter take the album apart. Now, you can sit down and play it. Join the Players Club: https://yhi.link/weird-fishes ------------------------------- Learn to talk…

New albums all hand-picked from jazz pianist Adam Maness for your listening pleasure. 00:00 - Intro 01:51- Epiphanie - Domi & JD Beck https://store.bluenote.com/products/domi-jd-beck-who-asked?srsltid=AfmBOoqy83sYVjg7gWOWEPzDP1lzL0qSN3BWoiNb80SR6foAtB1hFJUi 05:45 - Solidarity Song - Terri Lyne Carrington https://terrilynecarrington.bandcamp.com/album/trip-the-night-fantastic 08:01 - Eye Level - Fathers https://store.bluenote.com/products/fathers-fathers?variant=45730941010111&utm_source=Original&utm_campaign=KennyBeats20260610&utm_medium=direct&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bluenote.com%2F&utm_board=bluenote&utm_country=US&utm_linkurl=bluenote.lnk.to%2Ffathers&lf=09636c21c8ac71dedf000e172e87d2a6 10:37 - Tagore - Charles Lloyd https://store.bluenote.com/products/charles-lloyd-sangam-friends?srsltid=AfmBOorf1UxNmnTthTwtn0_zwgRhQmgDPrf_q9bYi0JObJCE-vYEtzKg 12:58 - Tethered - Nduduzo Makahthini…

Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life is all killer, no filler. Every track is a masterpiece. It's almost TOO easy for two jazz pianists in the business of reviewing history's greatest albums. So we're upping the stakes ... with a draft. Adam and Peter each present their top tracks from Songs in the Key of Life, compare and contrast, and see who comes out on top with the best lineup. Along the way, they reveal why Stevie Wonder is the master of harmony, how he (and only he) can get away with flourishes that would sound "corny" anywhere else, and the production details you'll never unhear. ---------------- Learn to play "Isn't She Lovely", even if you've never played a note. Led by You'll Hear It co-host Adam Maness, this special lesson is simple enough to follow, even for absolute beginners. You've spent an hour listening to Adam and Peter take the album apart. Now, you can sit down and play it in the Players Club: https://yhi.link/stevie-sitkol ---------------- Learn to talk like a jazz musician.…

You'll Hear It is a weekly listening party for people who love music ... a little too much. Every Monday, Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin sit down with one great album and break it down track-by-track. They listen, demonstrate what they are hearing, and put words to the moments you have always felt and haven't been able to explain. You’ll never hear your favorite albums the same way again. You'll Hear It returns with Season 15: August 2026.

Adam and Peter break down Prince and the Revolution's Purple Rain, the 1984 soundtrack that turned him into a global superstar. They go track by track, from "Let's Go Crazy" to the title song. With keyboards in hand, they break down the sophisticated music theory underneath this pop hit to reveal the hidden qualities that make this album great. You'll never hear Purple Rain the same way again. Stay tuned to the end of the episode for a bonus track: A jazzy live performance of Purple Rain by Open Studio and St. Louis soul singer Brian Owens. For more tracks from Open Studio's band, check out @openstudiomusic on YouTube. 00:00 Purple Rain - Prince 01:27 Prince, the Revolution & the Biggest Album of 1984 04:25 🎧 "Let's Go Crazy" 07:54 Making the Movie and the Album at Once 12:58 🎧 "Take Me With U" 19:59 Wendy Joins the Revolution 23:38 🎧 "The Beautiful Ones" 30:24 🎧 "Computer Blue" 35:16 🎧 "Darling Nikki" 41:50 🎧 "When Doves Cry" 45:41 🎧 "I Would Die 4 U" 48:58 🎧 "Baby I'm a Star" 52:21 🎧 "Purple Rain" 58:41…

Our Top Picks of new jazz and jazz-adjacent releases from June 2026!

Weather Report's Heavy Weather became one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time. But there's so much more to it than "Birdland", Heavy Weather's radio hit. In fact, Peter makes the case that it might just be the weakest moment of the entire record. Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin break it down track-by-track: From Jaco Pastorius's fiery fretless bass, to Joe Zawinul's beautiful piano, to the less-than-perfect production. You'll never hear Heavy Weather the same way again. 0:00 Heavy Weather - Weather Report 2:55 The Origins of Weather Report 6:29 Jaco Pastorius Joins the Band 10:40 "Birdland" 14:46 Birdland is the most popular. Is it the best? 20:38 "A Remark You Made" 25:17 "Teen Town" 30:49 "Harlequin" 36:22 "Rumba Mama" 38:38 "Palladium" 41:33 Production issues on Heavy Weather 45:11 "The Juggler" 50:59 "Havona" 58:13 The Best Moments on Heavy Weather 1:01:47 Is This Weather Report's Best Album? 1:02:43 Up Next 1:03:23 Open Studio plays "Teen Town" (with upright bass!)

With her 1974 masterpiece Court and Spark, Joni Mitchell transforms from folk singer into something harder to define. Her piano playing matures. Her songwriting blossoms into one of the richest harmonic and melodic color palettes we've ever heard up to this point. Not to mention her incredible lyricism and melodies. And she brings a new production sensibility from her backing band: a group of jazz musicians called The LA Express. In this episode of You'll Hear It, Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin break down Joni Mitchell's greatest artistic achievement (and her greatest commercial success) track-by-track. You'll never hear Court and Spark the same way again ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/ ------------------------------ Blue: https://youtu.be/ly6ENKGV-S8 ------------------------------ About You'll Hear It: In this popular music series, Adam and Peter break down the greatest albums of all time. Stevie…

Jazz musicians Adam Maness and Peter Martin review their three favorite songs from Michael Jackson's most iconic albums: Bad, Thriller and Off the Wall. And their choices aren't what you might expect. Plus - Adam, Peter and the Open Studio band play their jazzy interpretation of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal. ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/ ------------------------------ Off the Wall: https://youtu.be/jR9zxGueeq4 Thriller: https://youtu.be/KZx6W3SI8JA Bad: https://youtu.be/XgcI9LkZqeo ------------------------------ About You'll Hear It: In this popular music series, Adam and Peter break down the greatest albums of all time. Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell, D'Angelo: Jazz is the foundation of the most GENIUS music in recent history. These seasoned jazz pianists bring their deep musical knowledge to every joyful episode to help you hear the hidden qualities that make music AMAZING. You'll never…

Adam Maness brings you the freshest releases of May 2026! 0:00 Intro 0:50 Jeff Parker https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/happy-today 3:45 Greg Hutchinson https://www.allmusic.com/album/kind-of-now-mw0004778588 6:15 Chris Potter https://chrispotterjazz.bandcamp.com/album/alive-with-ghosts-today 9:09 New Jazz Underground https://www.allmusic.com/album/hoodies-mw0004791891 11:04 Virginia MacDonald https://virginiamacdonald.bandcamp.com/album/in-search-of 13:00 Harry Skoler https://harryskoler1.bandcamp.com/album/echoes 15:05 Laurie Anderson & Sexmob https://laurieanderson.bandcamp.com/album/let-x-x-live 17:06 Alabaster DePlume https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/dear-children-of-our-children-i-knew-epilogue 19:31 Ben Wolfe https://benjonah.bandcamp.com/album/any-time-after-now 21:30 Joe Lovano https://joelovano.com/recordings/paramount-quartet/

Sonny Rollins passed away this week at 95. Jazz pianists Peter and Adam are listening through the recordings that defined his career and made him one of the most influential musicians in jazz history. From his earliest bebop tunes to Saxophone Colossus to A Night at the Village Vanguard, they trace the arc of a player who kept raising the bar on himself even when the rest of the world thought he'd already cleared it. Plus - they talk through the legendary Williamsburg Bridge sabbatical: two years of practicing up to 16 hours a day. ------------------------------ About You'll Hear It:In this popular music series, Adam and Peter break down the greatest albums of all time. Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell, D'Angelo: Jazz is the foundation of the most GENIUS music in recent history. These seasoned jazz pianists bring their deep musical knowledge to every joyful episode to help you hear the hidden qualities that make music AMAZING. You'll never hear music the same way again. 00:00 Sonny Rollins…

Miles Davis's Kind of Blue is one of the greatest albums of all time - possibly THE greatest. But it's not perfect. In this special episode of You'll Hear It, jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness break down this classic record, track-by-track, to uncover why it has become so legendary. They dig into what's really going on in the music during this album's best moments: Miles's trumpet solo on "So What", Wynton Kelly's piano solo on "Freddie Freeloader", John Coltrane's entrance on "Blue in Green". Plus - we learn more about what Miles was doing in his early years, his break from bebop, what he thought of Bill Evans's approach, and the production and engineering techniques that give Kind of Blue its unique sound. Miles Davis was born just outside of St. Louis 100 years ago this week. To celebrate his centennial birthday, Adam and Peter filmed this episode in front of a live audience at The Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, MO. Chapters Legend: 🎧 Listening to a track 🎹 Music theory breakdown 🎵 Live…

Herbie Hancock's Thrust (1974) is one of the most influential jazz-funk records ever made. Peter Martin and Adam Maness break down the full album, track-by-track: Mike Clark's displaced backbeats, why Paul Jackson is such an unusual bass player and possibly the greatest Rhodes solo of all time. Plus - Adam shares a story about learning "Spank-A-Lee" at 16, and Peter tells us about meeting Paul Jackson for the first time. And ... is "Actual Proof" ACTUALLY the best track on the album? ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/yhi ------------------------------ Maiden Voyage: https://youtu.be/ZQ6ICxe2wjE Head Hunters: https://youtu.be/wM-_44deuSY ------------------------------ About You'll Hear It: In this popular music series, Adam and Peter break down the greatest albums of all time. Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell, D'Angelo: Jazz is the foundation of the most GENIUS music in recent history. These seasoned…

Could Parliament be the most important band of the 1970s? Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin break down Parliament's 1975 masterpiece Mothership Connection track-by-track: Bootsy Collins bass lines that launched a thousand samples, grooves that lock you in and won't let go, and the New Orleans connection that George Clinton says started the whole thing. Plus: isolated bass and drums stems. You'll never hear Parliament the same way again. Chapters Legend: 🎧 Listening to a track 🎹 Music theory breakdown 🎵 Live studio jam ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/yhi ------------------------------- About You'll Hear It: In this popular music series, Adam and Peter break down the greatest albums of all time. Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell, D'Angelo: Jazz is the foundation of the most GENIUS music in recent history. These seasoned jazz pianists bring their deep musical knowledge to every joyful episode to…

Join Adam Maness as he delves into the best new music released in April 2026 (ish). This month we're featuring the incredible microtonal Angine de Poitrine and many more!

YHI + McBride = Ray Charles?! Christian McBride - bassist, Grammy winner and one of the greatest musical minds working today - joins Adam and Peter on You'll Hear It to share his desert island album. If you know Christian, you know that his musical hero is James Brown. But Christian isn't bringing a James Brown pick. Instead, he's bringing one from his hero's hero ... Ray Charles. This album was a risky move for Charles - unlike anything else he'd released at that time. At the peak of his power, he set aside the qualities that made him famous: his voice and his piano. This one's a deep cut. But once you listen, you'll never hear Ray Charles the same way again. Chapters Legend: 🎧 Listening to a track 🎹 Music theory breakdown 🎵 Live studio jam ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/yhi ------------------------------ Jazz Organ LEGEND Reveals Favorite Tracks: https://youtu.be/MGMmJ1Jhx6U -------------------------------…

Check out Adam’s course for more on Kid A and the harmony of Radiohead: https://osjazz.link/radiohead You've never heard Kid A like THIS. Jazz musicians Adam Maness and Peter Martin break down Radiohead's 2000 art rock MASTERPIECE track-by-track to uncover what's really happening in the music that makes this album so incredible. Why do we love Radiohead's Kid A so much? Watch to find out. PLUS - Jazz musicians play Radiohead's "Everything In Its Right Place". One shot, one take, no AI. FULL video: https://youtu.be/c5w9BHKe0rc ------------------------------- About You'll Hear It: In this popular music series, Adam and Peter break down the greatest albums of all time. Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell, D'Angelo: Jazz is the foundation of the most GENIUS music in recent history. These seasoned jazz pianists bring their deep musical knowledge to every joyful episode to help you hear the hidden qualities that make music AMAZING. You'll never hear music the same way again.…

Cookin', Relaxin', Workin', and Steamin' capture Miles Davis on one of music history's most remarkable upswings. He had recently become clean after a years-long heroin addiction that led to his exclusion from major record labels and clubs. And now, in 1956, he had a deal with Columbia - the Cadillac of record labels - and a band he loved: Red Garland on piano, Philly Joe Jones on drums, Paul Chambers on bass and John Coltrane playing the sax. In this episode of You'll Hear It, jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness go through each album. They discuss the outsized influence of Ahmad Jamal, Red Garland's Red spread technique, the power of Miles's chatter on Relaxin' and whether this is the greatest rhythm section in the history of recorded music. Whether this is your first introduction to Miles Davis, or you've been listening to these albums for years, you'll walk away from this episode with a new understanding of, and appreciation for, Miles and his first great quintet. ------------------------------…

Marvin Gaye's I Want You could be one of his greatest albums, and he didn't even write it. Producer Leon Ware wrote most of the songs for himself. Marvin Gaye was only supposed to record the title track. But he heard Leon playing a demo of the album one night and stayed up listening until morning. The next day, he asked Ware if he could have the whole thing. In this episode, Peter and Adam break down why the title track, "I Want You", might be one of his best songs, and whether the rest of the album can possibly live up to it. This episode was recorded before the passing of James Gadson (June 17, 1939 – April 2, 2026), the drummer on I Want You. Gadson was one of the defining session drummers of 1970s soul. He was the drummer behind "Lean On Me," "I Will Survive," "Express Yourself", and the groove that powers this very album. Rest in peace, James. ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/yhi ------------------------------…

Buena Vista Social Club: The album so good it's life-affirming. And it almost didn't happen. In 1996, an American musician landed in Cuba to record a music project with Malian musicians. But when they didn't show up, Ry Cooder and his producer, Juan de Marcos González, went looking for replacements. That's when they found Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer and Rubén González, who had seen their musical prime decades earlier in the 40s and 50s. Compay was nearing his 90s, and some believed he had died, until he showed up on Buena Vista Social Club. Rubén hadn't played in years, and didn't even own a piano. But together with a cast of all-star Cuban musicians, they created what would become the best-selling world music album of all time. How did Buena Vista Social Club become a global phenomenon? In this episode of You'll Hear It, Peter Martin and Adam Maness listen to the record track-by-track to understand what makes this album so magnetic, and how it holds up 30 years later. Plus - a FIRST in You'll Hear It…

What happens when you put three of jazz's biggest personalities in a studio for a day? You get Money Jungle: Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach. Can it work? Miles Davis hated it. Others revere it. And the story behind this album is WILD. It's perhaps the most tense album we've ever listened to. And this episode of You'll Hear It is possibly the most we have ever disagreed about an album! Listen for the music, the hot takes, or just to see what all the fuss is about. No matter your reason for listening to this episode, you'll never hear Money Jungle the same way again. ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/yhi ------------------------------- Related You'll Hear It episodes: Mingus Ah Um: https://youtu.be/XYeRZ0Awui4 Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington: https://youtu.be/Z5YJr2iLG74 ------------------------------- About You'll Hear It: In this popular music series, Adam and Peter break down the greatest albums…

We're looking at the best jazz releases of March 2026! Listen with pianist Adam Maness as he breaks down and reacts to these great tracks. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi

Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington: The musicians on this album were already legends when it came out in 1955. Each of them completely reinvented how people play their instruments. Drummer Kenny Clarke: the originator of so much of modern drumming language. Bass player Oscar Pettiford: possibly the greatest bass soloist in the history of the instrument. And then there's Monk, one of the singular greatest pianists of all time. And here they are playing the music of Duke Ellington: an untouchable legend. The result is an album that brought Monk's genius to the masses. And it may just be one of his best. In this LIVE episode of You'll Hear It, jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin break down this remarkable moment in music history, playing Monk's interpretations next to Duke's originals. If you've never really got Monk, this album is your gateway into his music. And if you're already a fan, you'll never hear this album the same way again. ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial…

D'Angelo's Brown Sugar sounded like nothing else in 1995. R&B was slick, polished, and built for clubs. D'Angelo later said the "deeper consciousness" had gone out of contemporary music. Questlove later wrote that contemporary R&B had become "trite" and "soulless" ... and then there was Brown Sugar, D'Angelo's debut album. It sounded more like the '70s than the '90s. More like church than the club. On this episode of You'll Hear It, jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin go track by track through D'Angelo's debut, pulling apart the vocal stems, naming the jazz chords underneath the soul, and tracing every influence back to its root. They also bring in the archival recordings you might have missed: a live set from the Jazz Café London that gives the album a whole second life, and a J Dilla remix. ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/yhi ------------------------------- Related You'll Hear It episodes: Voodoo:…

Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959) may be the most controversial album in jazz history, and one of the most important. In 1959, a broke musician from Fort Worth, Texas arrived in New York City with a plastic saxophone and a band that didn't play by the rules. And EVERYONE had an opinion about it. Jazz legends hated it. Miles Davis said Ornette was "all screwed up inside." Max Roach punched him in the mouth. Dizzy Gillespie said Ornette's music wasn't even jazz. Meanwhile, Leonard Berstein and John Coltrane celebrated him. So what exactly is The Shape of Jazz to Come, and why was it so radical? Jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness break down every track, from "Lonely Woman" to "Chronology". They dig into harmolodics, free jazz, and how Ornette shaped everyone from Miles Davis (who eventually came around) to the '80s burnout crew, including Wynton Marsalis, who personally recommended this record to Peter. Dig into The Shape of Jazz to Come with us, and learn why this soft spoken…

Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin dive into Music of My Mind, track-by-track, listening to isolated stems and breaking down the music theory behind the songs. Plus - we talk about TONTO, the one-ton synthesizer Stevie used to create this record. And we dig into the innovative ways Stevie and collaborators Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff mixed the album. Music of My Mind was the first of a five-album run that formed Stevie Wonder's Classic Period, including Talking Book (1972), Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976). ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/yhi ------------------------------- Related You'll Hear It episodes: Talking Book: https://youtu.be/ymcy3ot116w Innervisions: https://youtu.be/mUYwIijL7s0 Songs in the Key of Life: https://youtu.be/uk5x4-uTzj8 ------------------------------- About You'll Hear It: In this popular music series, You'll Hear…

We're looking at the best jazz releases of February 2026! Listen with pianist Adam Maness as he breaks down and reacts to these great tracks. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - Intro 00:26 - In On It - Pat Metheny 02:20 - Circlesz - GENA 04:13 - Will You Walk A Little Faster - Holland, Stone, London Vocal Project 06:31 - La Sentencia - Melissa Aldana 08:55 - La Fiesta - Geoffrey Keezer & Tim Garland 10:58 - Oo Long! - The Tomeka Reid Quartet 13:18 - The Edge - Noah Stoneman 15:40 - Shivaranjani - Ragini Trio

Charlie Parker was punk rock before there was punk rock. His bebop was underground music: subversive, intellectual, and a major departure from popular music of the day (think: Nat King Cole, The Andrews Sisters, Perry Como). He was an intellectual heavyweight, nearly untouchable in his technical ability and pushing music to places no one else was daring to go. So where did Charlie Parker with Strings, his most accessible album, come from? It's not Bird going commercial, like some have claimed. Charlie Parker with Strings is an album he fought to make. He loved Bach and Stravinsky (even quoting the opening of Stravinsky's 'Firebird Suite' mid-solo in one legendary performance), and had longed to make a record where his jazz saxophone was accompanied by strings. The resulting record is music's greatest improviser at his best. Jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness listen to select tracks (like "Just Friends" and "Summertime"), breaking down the theory behind the music to understand what makes this album…

Is Steely Dan's Gaucho more perfect than Aja? Maybe even ... too perfect? Two years in the studio. The greatest session musicians alive asked to play take after take after take until it was exactly right. And sometimes that STILL wasn't enough for Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. On today's episode of You'll Hear It, jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness are breaking down the 1980 album track by track: the jazz harmony hiding inside those smooth grooves, the abstract poetry of the lyrics, and the insane stories behind how this thing got made. Including the $150,000 drum machine invented specifically for this record, the interview quote that cost them a third of a song, and the drum track that took 85 takes and 35 tape edits to piece together. And after all that, we didn't get another Steely Dan record for 20 years. Was it worth it? Read about the simple mistake that would haunt Steely Dan for 44 years in this week's edition of the You'll Read It newsletter: https://youllhearit.com/newsletter Watch our…

The Impossible follow-up: Michael Jackson's 1987 album Bad. Five years after Thriller changed everything, Michael returned with a record that would become one of the best-selling of all time, win two Grammys, feature some of the greatest musicians in the world (hey, Stevie Wonder!) ... and somehow still gets called a letdown. We've covered two of Michael's albums produced by Quincy Jones: Off the Wall and Thriller. What about Bad? Could it actually be better than its predecessor? Jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness deliver their final verdict on this 80s pop sensation. Along the way, you'll hear behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the album. Plus - we break down the tracks (with keyboards) to highlight the music theory behind this album's most compelling moments. “Annie, are you OK?” Sometimes the best hooks come from the strangest places - find out where in the YHI newsletter: https://youllhearit.com/newsletter 00:00 - Intro: "Smooth Criminal" - Michael Jackson 01:30 - Michael Jackson's Bad…

Carole King’s Tapestry is so cozy, you'll want to hug it; sit with it. It sounds simple, warm, and totally unassuming. But it’s way more impressive than it seems at first. Adam and Peter break down what’s actually going on beneath the surface of Tapestry ... and what most people miss. Carole King was already an elite songwriter long before this album. You know Aretha Franklin's “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”? Carole wrote that. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles? She wrote that, too. When she was just 17! Listen closely and you hear it everywhere: in the chord choices, in the way the she actually PLAYS the piano instead of just accompanying her vocals, and in the way her melodies and lyrics lock together so naturally you barely notice how intentional it all is. Add in that soulful, sweet voice, and you start to understand how this unassuming record became a chart-topping, Grammy-dominating classic when it came out in 1971. Tapestry sounds easy, but it's not. Check out this episode, and…

We're looking at the best jazz releases of January 2026! Listen with pianist Adam Maness as he breaks down and reacts to these great tracks. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - Intro 00:50 - Why Don't You - Sam Fribush, Corey Fonville, Charlie Hunter 03:09 - Talking Drum - Julian Lage 04:58 - Flim - Winderman, Colman, Kimock 06:53 - Nacho Supreme - Motion II 08:51 - Wisdom Is Eternal (For Barry Harris) 10:49 - Unpersuadable Extern - N∆BOU 12:11 - Free Walk - Vladko 14:17 - Fireball - John Ellis & Double Wide 15:52 - Giant Steps - Billy Hart 18:50 - Parks Lope - Aaron Parks

We're looking back at the best jazz releases of 2025. Listen with pianist Adam Maness as he breaks down and reacts to these great tracks. This is a new segment from the team behind You'll Hear It, and we're looking to continue this music discovery pod as a weekly series in 2026. Help us shape this series and leave us a comment with your feedback. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - The Best New Jazz of 2025 00:55 - "Spiral Dance" - Branford Marsalis Quartet 02:30 - "Minor Blues Redux" - Kenny Barron 4:54 - "Icarus" - Joshua Redman 6:55 - "Thou Swell" - Gillian Margot, Geoffrey Keezer 9:30 - "Southern Nights" - Sullivan Fortner 12:30 - "Anything but now" - Cécile McLorin Salvant 16:30 - "Everything Means Nothing to Me" - Brad Mehldau 22:00 - "Over (feat. Yebba)" - Robert Glasper 24:40 - "Carved From" - Mary Halvorson 26:45 - "Old Folks" - Christian McBride 29:00 - "Windows" - Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Brian Blade 33:00 - "Mood Indigo" -…

What does it really mean to live a musical life? As we look ahead to 2026, Adam and Peter talk about music as a way of being. Not a checklist, or a finish line, or something reserved for “professionals.” They share why they believe everyone is a musician, and why taste and curiosity matter more than optimization. Whether you're a musician, or a lover of music, anyone can lead a musical life. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - How to Live a Musical Life in 2026 07:00 - There is No Finish Line 08:45 - All Humans Are Musicians 19:10 - Find Your Own Taste 28:00 - How We Choose Topics for You'll Hear It

Prince's Sign O' the Times is one of our most requested albums at You'll Hear It. But, there is a certain window of millennial that doesn't really "get" Prince. If that’s you, this episode is your on ramp into his music. We start with Prince's earliest albums, tracing his incredible run from 1978 through to 1986. By the time we hit 1987 (around the time our dear mid-millennials were born), you can hear exactly why Sign O’ the Times has become so beloved by critics and music-lovers alike. If you’re already a Prince fan (like us!), get comfy. Put on your purple rain coat. We talk through the influences we hear all over this music: James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Parliament, Earth, Wind & Fire. We share our apex moments from Sign O’ the Times. And yes… we’ve got a few quibble bits too. We'll be taking a short break in January, and returning with more great episodes in February 2026. We'll be dropping a few special episodes in the meantime, so keep an eye on the feed. 00:00 - Intro Jam: "U Got the Look" 02:10 -…

Could this be peak Frank? Sinatra at the Sands captures the energy, the cool, and the incredible voice that made this crooner so iconic. Backed by the Count Basie Orchestra with arrangements by a young Quincy Jones, this live album still swings 60 years later! Sinatra at the Sands was recorded at a moment when Sinatra was emerging from a slump. Rock and roll dominated the airwaves, the Beatles were redefining popular music and crooning just wasn't cool anymore. But this album, recorded live in Vegas, shows a 50-year-old Frank sounding loose, confident, and completely at home in front of a band that swings like nothing else. Listen with us as we break down and react to the best of this swingin' album. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - Intro Jam: Fly Me To the Moon 01:35 - The Sinatra-Basie Episode! 03:45 - Is This Peak Frank? 05:45 - The Mid-60s Culture Shift 07:45 - "Come Fly With Me" 12:00 - The Quincy Influence 14:45 - "I've Got You Under…

How much do you know about Peter Martin? In this conversation with Kirk Hamilton of the Strong Songs podcast, Peter shares his musical influences and trajectory as a young jazz pianist. He brings us right back to the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s with stories of meeting Wynton Marsalis, and playing with jazz legends like Betty Carter, Roy Hargrove and Joshua Redman. Plus, he shares his take on jazz education, the marathon runner's mindset and why anyone and everyone can play music. Check out the Strong Songs podcast: https://strongsongspodcast.com/ Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - Introducing Today's Episode 02:50 - Peter's Strong Songs Interview 06:00 - Peter's Musical Background 08:00 - The Suzuki Method 14:30 - Nurturing Talent 16:30 - How Peter Discovered Jazz 20:30 - Meeting Wynton Marsalis 27:00 - The Midwestern Jazz Scene 33:20 - Juilliard, Roy Hargrove and the Young Lions 35:40 - Moving to New Orleans 38:30 - The Economics of Jazz in the 90s…

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was one of the BIGGEST records of the 90s. When you sell 20 million records, like Lauryn Hill did, you're into mass market territory; you're selling records all over the world and reaching across genres. With Miseducation, Lauryn Hill struck a nerve with humanity. How did she do it? As you'll hear in this episode, the album sounded unlike other chart-topping hits at the time. It features tons of acoustic instruments, beautiful chord progressions, Stevie Wonder vibes, palatable melodies, a D'Angelo cameo and deeply personal storytelling. And Lauryn Hill herself has the presence of an actor with the soul of an underground musician. Listen with us as we parse through Lauryn Hill's only album track-by-track to answer the question: What makes this album great? Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - Intro Jam: "Doo Wop (That Thing)" 02:05 - A Concept Album About Love 04:55 – The Fugees, Sister Act II & Stardom 07:40 -…

Keith Jarrett's "The Köln Concert" is the best selling solo piano album of all time. But why this album? Possibly because it sounded like nothing else in popular music at the time of its release in 1975. It is cinematic, genre-fluid and masterful – in many ways ahead of its time. Jazz musicians Adam Maness and Peter Martin listen to one of the most popular albums in the history of jazz, pulling apart all the elements that make it great: the melodies, the vamps, even the "soul" of Jarrett's notoriously flawed piano. If you know "The Köln Concert" well, watch for the analysis and hot takes. If you haven't heard this album before, it may just become the soundtrack to your life! Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - Is it Köln or Cologne? 06:30 - Part I 09:20 - How Jarrett Made Music for the Moment 17:00 - Jumping Back Into Part I 23:00 - Joyful and Fearless 29:00 - All the Genres 33:20 - Legit Amazing AND Popular 36:05 - The Harp 42:00 - Part II a…

Songs in the Key of Life stands apart, even next to the other four albums in Stevie Wonder's classic period. It resulted in the most hit singles: "I Wish", "Sir Duke", "As" and "Another Star". Chris Molanphy of the Hit Parade podcast leads us through this album's incredible charts story. Not only did it produce FOUR singles, but it inspired two other chart-topping hits: Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" and Will Smith's "Wild Wild West". Plus — Peter and Adam nerd out on the keys, dissecting every track to highlight the musical complexity that makes Songs in the Key of Life a favorite among jazz musicians. You may have heard Songs in the Key of Life ... possibly many times. But you've never heard it quite like this! Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - Intro Jam: "As" 02:13 - The Chart Story Behind SITKOL 05:40 - The Long Wait for Songs in the Key of Life 12:45 - "Love's In Need of Love Today" 19:40 - Comparing Stevie to Prince 20:30 - "I Wish"…

1959 gave us Kind of Blue, Time Out ... and Mingus Ah Um. Adam and Peter dig into Charles Mingus’s most adventurous, soulful record: gospel, bebop, and pure Mingus genius. You’ve never heard it quite like this. Charles Mingus was one of jazz's greatest bass players AND composers. Listen with us as we break down the genius in every track of his best-selling record, and share stories of the brilliant, chaotic, occasionally volatile man behind Mingus Ah Um. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 — Opening Jam: "Better Git It In Your Soul" 01:40 — What's happening at Open Studio 3:15 — 1959: What a Great Year! 5:40 — Early Mingus 10:40 — "All the Things You Can C#" from Mingus at the Bohemia 11:40 — "A Foggy Day" from Pithecanthropus Erectus 16:15 — "Better Get Hit In Your Soul" 23:35 — This One is For the Nerds 27:50 — "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" 34:36 — "Boogie Stop Shuffle" 38:30 — "Self-Portrait in Three Colors" 40:30 — The Duke Ellington Influence 45:10…

At Town Hall captures a pivotal moment in Nina Simone's story, when she left behind her dream of being a concert pianist and embraced her identity as an indefinable and remarkable talent. At Town Hall shows off Nina’s classical chops, infused with the jazz influences from working in nightclubs and mixed with the folk and gospel sounds of her youth. Adam and Peter pull apart the tracks to highlight each element of her unique musical blend. This may not be one of her most recognizable albums, but it is one of her most interesting. It's made even more fascinating by the fact that Nina met bassist Wilbur Ware and drummer Ben Riley only as they walked on stage! Listen to hear her arranging and composing on the spot. Subscribe to the You'll Read It newsletter for stories that didn't make the pod: https://youllhearit.com/newsletter Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi

In 1981, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones set out on one of the most ambitious projects in pop music history: an album where every song was a hit. The result was Thriller. The record-breaking, chart-topping masterpiece produced six top-ten hits, became the best-selling album of all time, and propelled Black American music into global pop dominance. Watch as jazz musicians Peter Martin and Adam Maness react to this iconic '80s pop album. They break it down track-by-track: MJ's timeless ad-libbed melodies, Ndugu Chancler's drum intros (the greatest in pop history?!), Greg Phillinganes's synths, and Rod Temperton's songwriting. Thriller is so much more than "Thriller". Listen with us, and you'll never hear this record the same way again. Michael Jackson unveils the moonwalk at NBC's Motown 25 special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB7TqzPVt_M&t=538s Greg Phillinganes breaks down the bass line on "Thriller": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UqxOg3M-OM Adam and Peter analyze Off the Wall:…