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 Best Moments On Purple Rain 1:01:33 Quibble Bits 1:04:56 Snobometer 1:06:23 Open Studio Performs "Purple Rain" 

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 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 Court and Spark - Joni Mitchell 00:32 New From Open Studio 03:37 Joni's Sound Before Court and Spark 10:04 Joni Starts Hanging Out With Jazz Musicians 11:07 🎧 "Court and Spark" - Alluding To An Epic 15:25 Three Songwriters in One, At the Highest Level 15:57 🎧 "Help Me" - Joni DELIVERS 19:09 🎧 "Free Man In Paris"  22:02 🎧 "Midnite Flite" - Tom Scott and The LA Express 23:25 🎧 "People's Parties" 25:55 🎧 "The Same Situation" 28:05 Joni's Lyrical Prowess 31:38 🎧 "Car On A Hill" 34:31 🎧 "Down To You" - A Perfect Song 39:54 Joni's Vocal Instrument 42:17 🎧 "Just Like This Train" - A MASTERCLASS In Lydian Mode 45:32 🎧 "Raised on Robbery" - What Genre Is This?! 48:09 🎧 "Trouble Child" 49:52 🎧 "Twisted" - The Only Cover On the Album 53:55 Desert Island Tracks 55:42 Best Moments On Court and Spark 57:13 How Snobby Is This Album?

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 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 The Top 3 Songs on Bad, Thriller and Off the Wall 00:55 #3  05:02 #2 12:23 #1  16:40 "Smooth Criminal" - Open Studio