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.
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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" - Dee Dee Bridgewater, Bill Charlap
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:
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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 - Welcome + New at Open Studio
03:50 - Coming Up Next Season
05:10 - How We Make Decisions for the Show
08:35 - Why "Sign O' the Times"?
11:35 - "Soft and Wet" from For You (1978)
14:50 - "I Wanna Be Your Lover" from Prince (1979)
17:50 - "Head" from Dirty Mind (1980)
19:15 - "Controversy" from Controversy (1981)
22:35 - "1999" from 1999 (1982)
25:15 - "Purple Rain" from Purple Rain (1984)
28:40 - "Raspberry Beret" from Around the World in a Day (1985)
29:45 - "Kiss" from Parade (1986)
40:20 - "Sign O' the Times"
45:40 - "Housequake"
47:20 - "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker"
51:50 - "Starfish and Coffee"
53:05 - "Slow Love"
55:20 - "Hot Thing"
57:10 - "U Got the Look"
59:25 - Miles on Prince
1:02:25 - "If I Was Your Girlfriend"
1:04:00 - "Strange Relationship"
1:05:20 - "The Cross"
1:08:00 - "Adore"
1:09:50 - Apex Moments
1:14:55 - Categories
1:19:35 - Snobometer
1:23:55 - Coming Up on YHI
1:24:20 - Outro Jam: "U Got the Look"
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 My Skin"
17:30 - What To Listen For
22:30 - "The Shadow of Your Smile"
26:20 - Freddie Green's "Chunking" Technique
28:15 - Sinatra's Vocal Gift
33:30 - "Street of Dreams"
35:50 - "One For My Baby (And One More for the Road)"
38:40 - "Fly Me To the Moon"
45:00 - "One O'Clock Jump"
49:50 - Desert Island Tracks
54:05 - Apex Moments
59:05 - Categories
1:03:20 - Coming Up Next Week
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
40:00 - Playing with the Legendary Betty Carter
44:30 - Jazz Musicianship Then and Now
47:15 - Roy Hargrove and the Summer of '94
52:15 - Joining Joshua Redman
57:45 - Rethinking Jazz Education
1:02:15 - The Marathon Runner's Mindset
1:07:20 - Kenny Kirkland: Awe & Inspiration
1:15:00 - Roy Hargrove, The RH Factor and Hard Groove
1:20:00 - My Funny Valentine - Miles Davis
1:25:00 - How to Find the Recommendations in this Episode
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?
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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 - "Intro" + "Lost Ones"
10:50 - “Ex-Factor”
13:15 - "To Zion (Feat. Carlos Santana)"
20:05 - "Doo Wop (That Thing)"
21:45 - "Superstar"
23:30 - “When It Hurts So Bad”
25:50 - "I Used to Love Him (feat. Mary J. Blige)"
33:00 - Hitting a Nerve with Humanity
37:20 - "Every Ghetto, Every City"
40:20 - "Nothing Even Matters"
42:50 - "Everything Is Everything"
45:10 - "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill"
47:30 - "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You - (I Love You Baby)"
52:35 - Desert Island Tracks + Apex Moments
1:01:50 - Up Next
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
48:25 - 80s Cinema Vibes
54:20 - Part II b
1:00:55 - Part II c
1:04:00 - Apex Moments & Categories
1:11:45 - GALA + Black Friday at Open Studio!
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"
24:00 - The Ultimate Crossover Hitmaker
27:25 - "Sir Duke"
32:30 - Making Jazz Fun
37:25 - "Passtime Paradise"
40:00 - Stevie the Synth Innovator
43:50 - How Stevie Commanded the Charts
46:40 - How Was This Track Not a Hit Single?
52:00 - This Hit Was NOT On an Album
56:00 - The SITKOL Jazz Standard
1:00:30 - "Another Star"
1:04:05 - "As"
1:15:00 - How SITKOL Singles Broke Ground
1:22:20 - Our Favorite SITKOL Tracks
1:25:35 - The Best Moments on SITKOL
1:29:50 - Bespoke Spotify Playlists
1:32:45 - What to Listen to Next
1:35:20 - Quibble Bits
1:37:50 - How "Snobby" is This Record?
1:40:50 - Is it Better than Kind of Blue?
1:42:40 - Packaging Gets a 10/10
1:45:00 - Outro: "As"
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 — "Open Letter to Duke"
48:05 — "Bird Calls"
49:00 — "Fables of Faubus"
56:40 - "Pussy Cat Dues"
58:15 — "Jelly Roll"
1:00:15 — Categories
1:10:50 — GALA
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.
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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: https://youtu.be/jR9zxGueeq4
Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi
In light of D'Angelo's passing, we're replaying our episode on Voodoo from June 2025. This Grammy-winning, genre-defying album changed the sound of R&B, soul, and hip-hop forever. And it has seriously influenced the playing of so many musicians, including our own Adam Maness.
From Questlove’s behind-the-beat drumming to Roy Hargrove’s horn arrangements, Voodoo is packed with the kind of deep musicality that jazz musicians truly connect with.
Twenty-five years later, Voodoo still hits harder than many albums of its generation. We've heard from so many of you in the comments on Spotify and YouTube about what this album, and D'Angelo's music, means to you.
Tell us how D'Angelo has influenced you in the comments on Spotify or YouTube: https://youtu.be/AYqmFNF2s0U
Watch Open Studio perform D'Angelo's "Spanish Joint":
https://youtu.be/CG5yqmkj0G4
Hip hop wouldn’t sound the same without jazz. From A Tribe Called Quest to PinkPantheress, jazz provides the groove behind of some of the most iconic tracks of the genre.
Diallo Riddle and Luxxury of One Song join Adam and Peter to geek out on deep cuts and the genius behind hip hop’s greatest jazz samples. We explore how sampling has shaped both genres, why the art of “borrowing” has always been part of the jazz tradition, and why some jazz musicians don't get paid for their contributions to hip hop.
If you loved our episode with Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding from Switched On Pop, you’ll love this one. We cover a lot of ground, so dive into our full playlist of every track we discuss. Find that here.
YHI x Switched On Pop episode on jazz influences in hip hop.
One Song episode on Patrice Rushen's "Remind Me".
One Song episode on A Tribe Called Quest's "Electric Relaxation".
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The RH Factor’s Hard Groove might sound uncontroversial to modern ears, but in the early 2000s it was revolutionary. With this record, Roy Hargrove broke away from the straight-ahead jazz revival of the Young Lions era and created something entirely new. Hard Groove blended Roy’s trumpet with the voices of R&B and soul heavyweights like D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Common, artists whose platinum-selling albums (Voodoo, Mama’s Gun, Like Water for Chocolate) already featured Roy’s melodic horn playing and orchestral arrangements.
With Hard Groove, Roy flipped the script: instead of lending his sound to the hip hop and neo-soul world, he invited those artists into a jazz record. The result was a landmark project that blurred genres and redefined what jazz could be in the 21st century.
Less than 24 hours left to vote for You'll Hear It in the Signal Awards! Help us win a People's Choice Award for Best Music Podcast: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2025/shows/genre/music
Want more neo-soul? Check out our Voodoo episode: https://youtu.be/AYqmFNF2s0U
Watch the documentary "Hargrove": https://youtu.be/liK1u6DQQ4M?si=SZ83SNHazZX2JMIm
Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs:
https://osjazz.link/yhi
Joni Mitchell’s Blue, a folk masterpiece, has inspired jazz musicians since its release in 1971. Is it because she sings like a horn player? Her improvisational melodies? Her unconventional chord structures? Her confessional songwriting?
We dive into every song on Blue, breaking down her favorite chords and her vocal phrasing to understand what makes this album great. You’ll never hear this record the same way again.
Watch to the end to see the Open Studio band’s extended interpretation of our favorite song off this record: “River.”
You'll Hear It has been nominated for a Listener's Choice award for Best Music Podcast at the Signal Awards. Vote for us here: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2025/shows/genre/music
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John Coltrane's A Love Supreme: Some call it the greatest album of the 20th century. Others say it isn't even Coltrane's best album ... of 1965.
No matter where you think it sits in the jazz music canon, Coltrane's love letter to God is a masterpiece. We break it down track-by-track, chord-by-chord to uncover what makes this album such a rewarding listen from front to back.
This week marks 99 years since Coltrane's birth. In his honor, we look back at this episode from 2024, where we listen deeply to what just may be Coltrane's magnum opus.
Looking for more Coltrane? Here are 6 Songs To Turn Coltrane Curious Into Coltrane Converted:
https://youtu.be/aSdNNTmL7Yk
Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs:
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We're talking jazz influences in hip hop today with Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding from Switched On Pop. We dig into tracks from Kendrick Lamar (there's that TPAB acronym!), Common, Cautious Clay and David Bowie to surface the musical qualities that explain why jazz musicians love these artists.
Plus - we explore the striking similarities between jazz and hip hop, especially in the recording booth, and why we don't hear more jazz in the popular music canon.
Check out our Robert Glasper episode:
https://youtu.be/hsJpuqtNH9o
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We’re diving back into Stevie Wonder with Innervisions, right in the heart of his classic period from 1972 to 1976. There’s something magical about this stretch of music history, and Innervisions stands as one of the greatest albums to emerge from it.
Stevie wrote every song on this album, and played every instrument on many tracks. From "Too High" to "Living For The City" to "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing", we pull apart these incredible songs to spend time with the many sides of Stevie Wonder: bass player, drummer, lyricist, and vocalist. Plus -- we're bringing back the keys for this one so Peter and Adam can pull apart all the musical nuances that make jazz musicians love Stevie Wonder so much.
Adam breaks down why jazz musicians love Stevie in our You'll Read It newsletter. Sign up for personal reflections and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of You'll Hear It.
Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs.
This episode references our episode on Talking Book, "Is This Stevie's Greatest Album?" Check it out here.
There is no more important relationship in this era of music than that of Miles Davis and John Coltrane; two masters ever-present in the musical and cultural landscape. Someday My Prince Will Come marks the last time Coltrane and Davis played together, and it couldn't be more perfect.
We dive into how their partnership played out on stage and in the recording studio over the years, and how their dynamic on Someday My Prince Will Come marks a handoff from ’50s jazz to the rock and roll sound of the ’60s, with Coltrane leading the way.
And Miles Davis, even more so than a masterful trumpet player or composer, was a tastemaker. From the musicians he picked, to the chord changes, to his choice of album art, we explore how this record brings it all together in one phenomenal package.
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🎹 Welcome to You’ll Hear It!
Your destination for laid‑back jazz chats, nerdy chords, and genuine conversations with Adam Maness and Peter Martin.
If you love spontaneous piano sessions, deep dives into jazz theory, or discovering community around two laid‑back hosts, you’re in the right place.