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.

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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 (1930-2026)
00:37 Celebrating Sonny Rollins: Opening Tribute
04:54 Sonny as the Bridge Between Bebop Generations
05:57 "Autobahn"
09:47 "Pent-Up House"
12:56 "I'll Remember April"
16:10 "Oleo"
17:32 "Tenor Madness"
19:32 "More Than You Know"
21:19 "The Way You Look Tonight"
22:51 "Bemsha Swing" with Clark Terry
24:00 Is Sonny Rollins the Most Influential Tenor Saxophone Player of All Time?
28:01 "St. Thomas" from Saxophone Colossus
34:40 "I'm an Old Cowhand" from Way Out West
36:14 "A Night at the Village Vanguard" (Afternoon Set)
39:00 "Wonderful! Wonderful!"
40:50 The Williamsburg Bridge Sabbatical
44:04 "Without a Song"
46:29 Later Career: 1970s - 2012
49:13 "Blue Seven"

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 studio jam

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Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs:
https://openstudiojazz.com

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Related YHI Videos

Steamin', Relaxin', Workin', Cookin': https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cookin-relaxin-workin-and-steamin-miles-davis-quintet/id1342674932?i=1000762361399
Someday My Prince Will Come: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/someday-my-prince-will-come-miles-davis/id1342674932?i=1000724354435
Birth Of the Cool: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/miles-first-masterpiece-birth-of-the-cool/id1342674932?i=1000710841989
My Funny Valentine: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/miles-greatest-album-youre-welcome/id1342674932?i=1000700565428

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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.

-------------------------------

Sign up for the You'll Read It newsletter for little known stories about the artists you love:
https://youllhearit.com/newsletter

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00:00 Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
5:45 🎧 Bebop and Miles Davis's Early Years
10:56 Bill Evans and Miles Davis
11:48 🎧 "So What"
20:49 KOB Is NOT A Perfect Album?
26:59 Miles On Bill Evans's Approach
32:13 🎧 "Freddie Freeloader"
41:31 🎧 "Blue In Green"
44:38 How They Made That KoB Sound
50:02 🎧 "All Blues"
58:20 🎧 "Flamenco Sketches"
1:02:44 Is It Perfect?
1:04:56 🎧 Outakes
1:06:38 Categories: Desert Island Tracks & Apex Moments
1:11:20 How Snobby Is This Album?
1:16:21 What To Listen To Next
1:19:13 🎵 "So What" - Open Studio

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?

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Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs:
https://openstudiojazz.com/yhi

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Maiden Voyage: https://youtu.be/ZQ6ICxe2wjE

Head Hunters: https://youtu.be/wM-_44deuSY

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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.

-------------------------------

Sign up for the You'll Read It newsletter for little known stories about the artists you love:
https://youllhearit.com/newsletter

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00:00 Thrust - Herbie Hancock
00:30 Herbie Before Thrust: Miles & The Headhunters
03:01 Drummer Mike Clark Joins the Band
03:35 🎧 "Palm Grease"
11:10 Why Paul Jackson Was So Unusual
13:07 🎧 "Actual Proof"
24:23 Our Relationship to Thrust
29:57 🎧 "Butterfly"
38:34 Peter's Paul Jackson Story
43:02 🎧 "Spank-A-Lee"
52:47 Categories: Desert Island Tracks, Apex Moments, Snobometer
57:09 The MOST Controversial Moment in YHI History

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 help you hear the hidden qualities that make music AMAZING. You'll never hear music the same way again.

-------------------------------

Sign up for the You'll Read It newsletter for little known stories about the artists you love:
https://youllhearit.com/newsletter

-------------------------------

00:00 Parliament's Mothership Connection (1975)
01:07 MASTERCLASS In Funk
02:44 Who Is Parliament?
07:59 🎧 "Mothership Connection"
10:15 🎧 BEST Moment of 1975
14:48 Isolated Stems On "Mothership Connection"
18:34 Influence Of Mothership Connection
20:15 🎧 "Unfunky UFO"
23:10 🎧 "Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication"
27:23 Mysticism and Meaning of Parliament
33:48 🎧 "Handcuffs"
35:54 🎧 "Give Up the Funk"
44:13 🎧 "Night Of the Thumpasorus Peoples"
46:44 Categories: Desert Island Tracks, Apex Moments, Spotify Playlist
48:13 Is This the Most Important Band Of the 70s
51:05 What to Listen to Next

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

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Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs:
https://openstudiojazz.com/yhi

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Jazz Organ LEGEND Reveals Favorite Tracks: https://youtu.be/MGMmJ1Jhx6U

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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.

-------------------------------

Sign up for the You'll Read It newsletter for little known stories about the artists you love:
https://youllhearit.com/newsletter

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00:00 Ray Charles - Genius + Soul = Jazz
01:05 Why James Brown Fans LOVE This Album
4:41 🎧 "From the Heart"
11:30 Funk Starts HERE
13:51 🎧 "I've Got News For You"
19:35 🎧 "Moanin'"
24:18 Roy Haynes LOVED This Album
26:46 🎧 "Let's Go"
31:03 🎧 "One Mint Julep"
34:30 The Quincy Jones-Ray Charles Factor
37:56 🎧 "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town"
42:08 🎧 "Strike Up the Band"
44:53 Desert Island Tracks
47:40 What's With That Organ Sound?
52:30 The Best Moments on Genius + Soul = Jazz
53:28 What to Listen to Next
58:34 Better Than Kind of Blue?

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

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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.

-------------------------------

Hidden artifacts from the albums we love:
https://youllhearit.com/newsletter

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Chapters Legend:
🎧 Listening to a track 🎹 Music theory breakdown 🎵 Live studio jam

00:00 Radiohead - Kid A
00:58 This is Adam's Super Bowl
03:40 How Do They Get Away with This?!
05:39 🎧 Where Radiohead Started
08:29 🎧 OK Computer: Something's Happening Here
15:17 Yorke's Creative Crisis
18:09 🎧 "Everything In Its Right Place"
22:44 Isolated Stems on "Everything In Its Right Place"
24:53 Why Jazz Musicians Love Radiohead
27:35 The Genius Rhythm in "Everything"
30:00 Did Kid A Predict the Future?
31:04 🎧 "Kid A"
33:28 How Radiohead Cracked the Code
34:07 Bluegrass Cover of "Kid A"
35:27 🎧 "The National Anthem"
40:55 What Peter ACTUALLY Thinks of Kid A
46:19 🎧 "How To Disappear Completely"
52:09 🎧 "Treefingers"
55:10 What Genre Is This?
58:30 🎧 "Optimistic"
1:00:58 🎹 A Lesson in Modal Interchange
1:05:00 🎧 "In Limbo"
1:08:04 🎹 Adam Breaks Out the Keyboard
1:10:44 🎧 "Idioteque"
1:13:22 Isolated Stems on "Idioteque"
1:14:43 🎧 "Morning Bell"
1:16:35 🎹 The Chromatic Mediant in Kid A
1:19:50 🎧 "Motion Picture Soundtrack"
1:22:28 🎧 The Most BRILLIANT Album Ending
1:24:19 Best Moments on Kid A
1:32:21 What to Listen to Next
1:32:42 Better Than Voodoo?
1:33:49 🎵 "Everything In Its Right Place"

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.

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Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs:
https://openstudiojazz.com/yhi

------------------------------

Some Day My Prince Will Come: https://youtu.be/a_Ygq74SjvQ

Birth of the Cool: https://youtu.be/eEl9-z6G2tU

My Funny Valentine: https://youtu.be/-9mMbZMtyGs

-------------------------------

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.

-------------------------------

Sign up for the You'll Read It newsletter for little known stories about the artists you love:
https://youllhearit.com/newsletter

-------------------------------

0:00 Miles Davis - Cookin', Relaxin', Workin' & Steamin'
0:47 The Comeback Story
5:17 Miles & Monk at Newport '55
8:54 "My Funny Valentine"
11:09 Miles to Red: 'Play Like Ahmad Jamal'
13:51 "Blues by Five"
17:39 BTS: Trane Comes Into His Own
21:06 Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
22:40 "If I Were a Bell"
29:59 "You're My Everything"
32:54 The POWER of Miles's Intro Chatter
36:40 "Oleo"
38:15 "It Never Entered My Mind"
41:58 "Four"
46:44 Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
48:25 "Surrey with the Fringe on Top"
53:22 "Salt Peanuts"
55:08 "Well You Needn't"
55:30 "When I Fall in Love"
56:27 "If I Were a Bell" Over the Years
58:03 Desert Island Tracks
58:36 Apex Moments