Podcasts · Music

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

Peter Martin & Adam Maness

300 episodes

The best hang in music. Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin break down the greatest albums of all time, track-by-track. Like Thriller, Kid A, Songs In the Key of Life, Aja, and Voodoo. They use their deep knowledge of music theory to uncover the hidden qualities that make music work - harmony, groove, composition and production - while demonstrating at the keys and playing isolated stems. Then, watch them perform their favorite track with our in-house band: One shot, one take. You'll never hear music the same way again. A video podcast from Open Studio, the #1 online jazz education platform.

Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. The Return of the Space Cowboy - Jamiroquai

    · 53 min · S15 E12

    Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin take apart Jamiroquai’s 1994 album The Return of the Space Cowboy, isolating bass lines and keyboard parts to reveal the jazz harmony inside the grooves. Start your free Open…

  2. The Coziest Tracks We Know

    · 30 min · S15 E11

    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.…

  3. Earfood – Roy Hargrove

    · 1 h 13 min · S15 E10

    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…

  4. What Do Jazz Pianists Listen to When Nobody’s Watching? (Mailbag Episode)

    · 59 min · S15 E9

    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.…

  5. Black Messiah - D'Angelo and the Vanguard

    · 1 h 23 min · S15 E8

    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…

  6. The Ultimate Ahmad Jamal Playlist

    · 56 min · S15 E7

    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:…

  7. Waltz for Debby – Bill Evans Trio

    · 35 min · S15 E6

    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…

  8. The Ultimate Stank Face Challenge

    · 38 min · S15 E5

    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…

  9. In Rainbows – Radiohead

    · 58 min · S15 E4

    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…

  10. Best New Jazz In July 2026: Domi & JD Beck, Terri Lyne Carrington, Charles Lloyd and more

    · 22 min · S15 E3

    New albums all hand-picked from jazz pianist Adam Maness for your listening pleasure. 00:00 - Intro 01:51- Epiphanie - Domi & JD Beck…

  11. Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder

    · 44 min · S15 E1

    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…

  12. You'll Hear It Is Back! Season 15

    · 1:01 · Trailer

    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…

  13. Purple Rain – Prince and the Revolution

    · 1 h 13 min · S14 E29

    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,…

  14. Our TOP Picks For Your Favorite Listens of July 2026

    · 19 min · S14 E28

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

  15. Heavy Weather – Weather Report

    · 1 h 06 min · S14 E27

    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…

  16. Court and Spark – Joni Mitchell

    · 1 h 00 min · S14 E25

    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…

  17. The BEST Moments from MJ's Greatest Run, Ranked

    · 22 min · S14 E24

    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,…

  18. Oh, Jeff Parker? He Gets It.

    · 24 min · S14 E23

    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…

  19. Sonny Rollins (1930-2026)

    · 50 min · S14 E22

    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…

  20. Kind of Blue – Miles Davis

    · 1 h 26 min · S14 E21

    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…

  21. Thrust – Herbie Hancock

    · 1 h 00 min · S14 E20

    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…

  22. Mothership Connection – Parliament

    · 53 min · S14 E19

    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…

  23. WOAH: Angine de Poitrine Might Be It

    · 19 min · S14 E18

    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!

  24. Genius + Soul = Jazz – Ray Charles

    · 1 h 01 min · S14 E17

    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…

  25. Kid A – Radiohead

    · 1 h 39 min · S14 E16

    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…

  26. Cookin', Relaxin', Workin', and Steamin' – Miles Davis Quintet

    · 1 h 12 min · S14 E15

    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…

  27. I Want You – Marvin Gaye

    · 1 h 07 min · S14 E14

    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…

  28. Buena Vista Social Club

    · 59 min · S14 E13

    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,…

  29. "Money Jungle" – Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Max Roach

    · 1 h 12 min · S14 E12

    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…

  30. Best New Jazz Of March 2026

    · 25 min · S14 E10

    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:…

  31. "Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington" – Thelonious Monk

    · 1 h 06 min · S14 E9

    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…

  32. "Brown Sugar" – D'Angelo

    · 1 h 36 min · S14 E8

    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…

  33. "The Shape of Jazz to Come" – Ornette Coleman

    · 50 min · S14 E7

    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…

  34. "Music of My Mind" – Stevie Wonder

    · 1 h 39 min · S14 E6

    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…

  35. Best New Jazz In February 2026

    · 18 min · S14 E5

    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:…

  36. "Charlie Parker with Strings" – Charlie Parker

    · 1 h 16 min · S14 E4

    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…

  37. "Gaucho" – Steely Dan

    · 1 h 25 min · S14 E3

    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…

  38. "Bad" – Michael Jackson

    · 1 h 20 min · S14 E2

    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…

  39. "Tapestry" – Carole King

    · 1 h 27 min · S14 E1

    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…

  40. Fresh Spin Fridays - January 2026

    · 20 min · S13 E27

    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:…

  41. The Best New Jazz of 2025

    · 35 min · S13 E22

    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…

  42. How to Live a Musical Life in 2026

    · 31 min · S13 E24

    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…

  43. "Sign o' the Times" – Prince

    · 1 h 30 min · S13 E23

    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…

  44. "Sinatra at the Sands" — Frank Sinatra with Count Basie and His Orchestra

    · 1 h 04 min · S13 E21

    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,…

  45. The Peter Martin x Strong Songs Interview

    · 1 h 27 min · S13 E20

    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…

  46. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" – Lauryn Hill

    · 1 h 04 min · S13 E19

    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…

  47. "The Köln Concert" – Keith Jarrett

    · 1 h 14 min · S13 E18

    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…

  48. "Songs in the Key of Life" – Stevie Wonder

    · 1 h 49 min · S13 E17

    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…

  49. "Mingus Ah Um" — Charles Mingus

    · 1 h 13 min · S13 E16

    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.…

  50. "At Town Hall" – Nina Simone

    · 1 h 09 min · S13 E15

    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…

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