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.

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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 originator of so much of modern drumming language. Bass player Oscar Pettiford: possibly the greatest bass soloist in the history of the instrument. And then there's Monk, one of the singular greatest pianists of all time. And here they are playing the music of Duke Ellington: an untouchable legend.

The result is an album that brought Monk's genius to the masses. And it may just be one of his best. In this LIVE episode of You'll Hear It, jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin break down this remarkable moment in music history, playing Monk's interpretations next to Duke's originals.

If you've never really got Monk, this album is your gateway into his music. And if you're already a fan, you'll never hear this album the same way again.

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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.

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0:00 - "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
2:07 - You'll Hear It Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center
6:02 - The Story of Thelonious Monk
8:24 - First Official Recording: Coleman Hawkins Quartet (1944)
10:21 - Keepnews Big Idea to Bring Monk to the Masses
14:46 - "It Don't Mean a Thing": Duke's original vs. Monk's version
20:40 - Bassist Oscar Pettiford's Sophisticated Musical Language
24:10 - Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald's Version
27:38 - "Sophisticated Lady"
31:44 - "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good"
35:08 - Bet You Can't Guess This Singer
39:10 - "Black and Tan Fantasy": Duke (1927) vs. Monk
42:30 - Oscar Pettiford Plays "Basso Profundo" with Duke Ellington
45:00 - "Tricotism" - Oscar Pettiford
45:55 - Kenny Clarke deep dive
47:48 - "Mood Indigo"
49:50 - "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart": Duke's original vs. Monk's version
52:30 - "Solitude"
55:00 - "Caravan": Duke's original vs. Monk's version
58:35 - Categories: Desert Island, Apex Moments, Bespoke Playlists, Quibble Bits
59:50 - Drummer Kenny Clarke's Brush Master Class
1:04:00 - Is This Better than Kind of Blue?
1:04:55 - What to Listen to Next

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 contemporary R&B had become "trite" and "soulless" ... and then there was Brown Sugar, D'Angelo's debut album. It sounded more like the '70s than the '90s. More like church than the club.

On this episode of You'll Hear It, jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin go track by track through D'Angelo's debut, pulling apart the vocal stems, naming the jazz chords underneath the soul, and tracing every influence back to its root. They also bring in the archival recordings you might have missed: a live set from the Jazz Café London that gives the album a whole second life, and a J Dilla remix.

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

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Related You'll Hear It episodes:

Voodoo: https://youtu.be/AYqmFNF2s0U

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

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 - D'Angelo's Brown Sugar
01:11 - Let's Go Back to 1995
05:35 - "Brown Sugar"
08:30 - Engineer Bob Power's Influence
09:13 - "Brown Sugar" Felt Different From Anything Else in 1995
16:57 - D'Angelo on Why He Picked Bob Power
19:30 - "Alright"
28:57 - Isolated Vocal Stems on "Alright"
31:27 - "Jones in My Bones"
33:20 - The Little-Known D'Angelo Album
36:25 - "Me & Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine"
40:30 - The J Dilla Remix (1997)
44:18 - "Shit, Damn, Motherfucker"
46:30 - Live at the Jazz Cafe - "Shit, Damn, Motherfucker"
48:10 - "Smooth"
50:20 - D'Angelo Could Have Been a Jazz Pianist
53:04 - D'Angelo and Peter's Ellis Marsalis Connection
56:21 - "Cruisin'"
59:25 - Ad Break: Learn To Play Like D'Angelo
1:00:37 - "When We Get By"
1:04:44 - "We Were Just Mocking Dilla": Raphael Saadiq on How "Lady" Was Made
1:06:20 - "Lady"
1:11:02 - "Higher"
1:15:28 - "Brown Sugar" Hits Different 30 Years Later
1:17:00 - Our Favorite Moments
1:23:45 - Quibble Bits, Snob-O-Meter & Accoutrements
1:27:26 - Up Next + Listener Reviews
1:29:45 - Open Studio Plays "Lady"