What happens when a 21-year-old Stevie Wonder gets the keys to the Motown kingdom? You get Talking Book, a no-filler masterpiece. Adam and Peter go track-by-track through Stevie’s first fully self-driven album, where he played nearly everything himself. From the sticky funk of “Superstition” to the guitar-like tones of “Big Brother,” we break down Stevie’s best clav sounds, synth bass lines, and his surprisingly killin’ drum takes. You’ll hear how this record captured the cutting-edge of music tech while remaining deeply human – and why it may be even better than Songs in the Key of Life. Let’s talk the genius of Stevie Wonder.

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the premier online jazz education platform, with an ever-expanding course library and 20,000+ members, Open Studio (OS) has everything you need to excel and thrive on your jazz journey.

Featuring everything from beginner to advanced lessons, engaging courses from A-list instructors, step-by-step curriculum, real-time classes and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, OS is the perfect platform to level up your jazz playing, whether you’re a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level improvisor.

Try OS Membership today! → https://osjazz.link/about

All about YHI
https://lnk.to/youllhearitYB

One afternoon in Oslo changed the course of jazz piano history! In this episode, Adam and Peter dive into Facing You, the hit 1971 ECM release where a 26-year-old Keith Jarrett – torn between Miles Davis’ electric band and his own acoustic instincts – walked alone into a studio and recorded eight completely improvised masterpieces. From the gospel-tinged “In Front” to the apex moment in “Lalene,” we explore his remarkable touch, bluesy intuition, and the distinctive distorted Steinway that producer Manfred Eicher perfectly captured. We place this album among solo piano giants (Monk, Tatum, Evans), lovingly examine Jarrett’s “fussy” reputation, and show how this afternoon session laid the blueprint for his legendary Köln Concert. Five decades later, we jazz pianists are still chasing the magic Keith created that day.

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the premier online jazz education platform, with an ever-expanding course library and 20,000+ members, Open Studio (OS) has everything you need to excel and thrive on your jazz journey.

Featuring everything from beginner to advanced lessons, engaging courses from A-list instructors, step-by-step curriculum, real-time classes and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, OS is the perfect platform to level up your jazz playing, whether you’re a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level improvisor.

Try OS Membership today! → https://osjazz.link/about

All about YHI
https://lnk.to/youllhearitYB

Does it get any better than that ARP bass line on “Chameleon”? That’s right, it’s Herbie time! Join Peter and Adam as we explore Herbie Hancock’s explosive breakout from Blue Note jazz man to platinum-selling Headhunter. Transport your ears to an afro-futuristic daydream as we dissect Herbie’s funk-jazz era – and the cast of characters that helped push jazz records back onto the Pop charts. You’ll hear stem breakdowns of Paul Jackson’s brilliant bass grooves, the magic of Mike Clark’s “Oakland sound” drums, and, of course, much geeking out over Herbie’s mind-bending synth and electric keyboard experiments (excuse our stank-faces). From Fat Albert Rotunda (1969) through the slept-on Sunlight (1978), we ask: is this Herbie at his greatest?

🟠 Open Studio Members → Nerd nook

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the premier online jazz education platform, with an ever-expanding course library and 20,000+ members, Open Studio (OS) has everything you need to excel and thrive on your jazz journey.

Featuring everything from beginner to advanced lessons, engaging courses from A-list instructors, step-by-step curriculum, real-time classes and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, OS is the perfect platform to level up your jazz playing, whether you’re a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level improvisor.

Try OS Membership today! → https://osjazz.link/about

Take a trip with us to the most revolutionary decade in jazz (1923-1933), when a young Louis Armstrong was creating a new improvisational vocabulary in real-time. This isn’t the “Wonderful World” Satchmo most know, but the young gunner whose genius trumpet solos on “West End Blues” and “Tight Like This” were toppling trumpet kings. We break down Pops’ evolution from King Oliver’s second to pioneering frontman, explore his inventive scat singing (supposedly born when he dropped his lyric sheet), and trace how his massive popularity caught the attention of Chicago gangsters – careful now! From his recordings with Earl “Fatha” Hines to “Black and Blue” – the first jazz song addressing racism – hear exactly why we say there would be no jazz without Louis Armstrong.

Link to Spotify Playlist

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the premier online jazz education platform, with an ever-expanding course library and 20,000+ members, Open Studio (OS) has everything you need to excel and thrive on your jazz journey.

Featuring everything from beginner to advanced lessons, engaging courses from A-list instructors, step-by-step curriculum, real-time classes and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, OS is the perfect platform to level up your jazz playing, whether you’re a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level improvisor.

Try OS Membership today! → https://osjazz.link/about

Tune in as we pay tribute to the incomparable Roberta Flack, who we sadly lost last month. From her 1969 debut album First Take (featuring Open Studio artist Ron Carter on bass) to her iconic collaborations with Donny Hathaway – we dissect why what Flack didn’t play was just as important as what she did. We’ll explore how this classical piano prodigy, who entered Howard at 15 and didn’t write her own songs, became the Quiet Storm Queen that influenced every soul, R&B, and jazz singer since. You’ll hear why her understated yet commanding vocals and that classic 70s kick drum made “Killing Me Softly” a hit, grooving duets like “You’ve Got A Friend,” and deep cuts that redefined ballads. Join us to uncover the genius of Roberta Flack.

🟠 Open Studio Members → Nerd Nook

OG YHI episode on Donny and Roberta
https://youtu.be/78mMufAqZSc

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the premier online jazz education platform, with an ever-expanding course library and 20,000+ members, Open Studio (OS) has everything you need to excel and thrive on your jazz journey.

Featuring everything from beginner to advanced lessons, engaging courses from A-list instructors, step-by-step curriculum, real-time classes and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, OS is the perfect platform to level up your jazz playing, whether you’re a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level improvisor.

Try OS Membership today! → https://osjazz.link/about

All about YHI
https://lnk.to/youllhearitYB

Could Miles Davis’ peak performance come alongside a bunch of kids who weren’t even getting paid? In this episode, Peter and Adam dive into one of the greatest live albums ever captured, My Funny Valentine: Live at the Philharmonic (1964). We explore how Miles Davis, sideman George Coleman, and a young rhythm section (Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and teenage Tony Williams) made jazz history in real time with their one-of-a-kind (unpaid) voter registration benefit concert. Learn how the quintet remade Miles’ go-to standards (“All of You”, “Stella”, “All Blues”...) with their conversational, free-flowing, spacious playing – and hear the evolution across Davis’ career. Join us as we break down these incredible performances and prove why this underappreciated live album captures Miles’ greatest playing ever (at least for Peter’s ears).

🟠 Open Studio Members → Nerd nook

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the premier online jazz education platform, with an ever-expanding course library and 20,000+ members, Open Studio (OS) has everything you need to excel and thrive on your jazz journey.

Featuring everything from beginner to advanced lessons, engaging courses from A-list instructors, step-by-step curriculum, real-time classes and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, OS is the perfect platform to level up your jazz playing, whether you’re a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level improvisor.

Try OS Membership today! → https://osjazz.link/about

All about YHI
https://lnk.to/youllhearitYB

When Epic Records told Michael Jackson “no” to Quincy Jones, he fought back and changed music forever. Join Adam Maness and Peter Martin as they dive into Jackson’s 1979 masterpiece Off The Wall – the album that planted MJ’s flag as a solo artist. We explore how a young Michael partnered with Quincy Jones, created magic with studio legends Louis Johnson and Greg Phillinganes, and transformed Rod Temperton’s “I Want to Eat You Up” into a radio-friendly “Rock With You.” Hear rare demos and interviews, isolated stems, and discover why this record still delivers HITS! decades later. Between Quincy’s touch, Michael’s heart-pouring intensity, and a whole lot of masterful musicians emerged something that united the world in a way few artists ever could.

🟠 Open Studio Members - Check out the Nerd Nook for the episode in The Hang:
https://www.openstudiojazz.com/community/c/as-seen-on/nerd-nook-off-the-wall

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the premier online jazz education platform, with an ever-expanding course library and 20,000+ members, Open Studio (OS) has everything you need to excel and thrive on your jazz journey.

Featuring everything from beginner to advanced lessons, engaging courses from A-list instructors, step-by-step curriculum, real-time classes and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, OS is the perfect platform to level up your jazz playing, whether you’re a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level improvisor.

Try OS Membership today! → https://osjazz.link/about

All about YHI
https://lnk.to/youllhearitYB

Can you believe the most celebrated Bill Evans Trio was only together for 18 months? In this episode, we’re looking at early 60's Bill alongside Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian, and the four albums they recorded together before LaFaro’s tragic death at just 25 years old. From Portrait in Jazz and its cross-over with Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue through Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debbie – recorded live on the same day in June 1961. We break down their conversational approach to jazz standards like “Autumn Leaves,” geek out over Bill Evans music theory, and explore his distinct voicings and voice leading techniques. Whether you’re a mid-century jazz aficionado or just looking for the perfect “sweater weather trio songs to somberly study to,” we’ve got just the playlist for you.

🟠 Open Studio Members -> Nerd Nook

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the premier online jazz education platform, with an ever-expanding course library and 20,000+ members, Open Studio (OS) has everything you need to excel and thrive on your jazz journey.

Featuring everything from beginner to advanced lessons, engaging courses from A-list instructors, step-by-step curriculum, real-time classes and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, OS is the perfect platform to level up your jazz playing, whether you’re a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level improvisor.

Try OS Membership today! → https://osjazz.link/about

All about YHI
https://lnk.to/youllhearitYB