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

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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

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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

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

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

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 Leon playing a demo of the album one night and stayed up listening until morning. The next day, he asked Ware if he could have the whole thing.

In this episode, Peter and Adam break down why the title track, "I Want You", might be one of his best songs, and whether the rest of the album can possibly live up to it.

This episode was recorded before the passing of James Gadson (June 17, 1939 – April 2, 2026), the drummer on I Want You. Gadson was one of the defining session drummers of 1970s soul. He was the drummer behind "Lean On Me," "I Will Survive," "Express Yourself", and the groove that powers this very album. Rest in peace, James.

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

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Adam and Peter break down Marvin Gaye's What's Going On: https://youtu.be/PHowrEiaInQ

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

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 I Want You - Marvin Gaye
00:39 Welcome: You'll Hear It from Open Studio
01:53 Who is Leon Ware? The Man Behind the Music
07:23 "I Want You"
14:39 The Keys Are Back! Breaking Down "I Want You"
16:52 Isolated Stems on "I Want You"
20:53 Can the Rest of the Album Live Up to Track 1?
21:52 Kendrick Lamar's Interpolation
25:27 "Come Live With Me Angel"
28:20 "After the Dance"
31:11 "Feel All My Love Inside"
35:03 "I Wanna Be Where You Are"
38:18 "All the Way Around": The Best Moment On the Album?
40:07 "Since I Had You"
42:07 "Soon I'll Be Loving You Again"
43:40 "After the Dance"
45:16 "After the Dance (Vocal)"
46:41 Desert Island Tracks / Apex Moments / Bespoke Playlist Title
55:00 Snob-o-Meter / Better Than? / Accoutrements
58:00 Leon Ware Released HIS Version the Same Year
59:44 GALA + Thank You
1:01:23 Coda: "I Want You" feat. Brian Owens + James Gadson Tribute

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, Ry Cooder and his producer, Juan de Marcos González, went looking for replacements.

That's when they found Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer and Rubén González, who had seen their musical prime decades earlier in the 40s and 50s. Compay was nearing his 90s, and some believed he had died, until he showed up on Buena Vista Social Club. Rubén hadn't played in years, and didn't even own a piano.

But together with a cast of all-star Cuban musicians, they created what would become the best-selling world music album of all time.

How did Buena Vista Social Club become a global phenomenon?

In this episode of You'll Hear It, Peter Martin and Adam Maness listen to the record track-by-track to understand what makes this album so magnetic, and how it holds up 30 years later. Plus - a FIRST in You'll Hear It history.

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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 - Buena Vista Social Club
00:55 - Why This Episode is NEXT LEVEL
06:59 - "Chan Chan"
10:24 - The Story of Buena Vista Social Club
14:34 - "De Camino a la Vereda"
16:27 - "El Cuarto de Tula"
20:09 - "Pueblo Nuevo (Danzón)"
24:26 - "Dos Gardenias"
26:12 - "Y Tú Qué Has Hecho?"
28:15 - "Veinte Años"
29:49 - Omara's On Stage Shout Out to Peter
31:09 - "El Carretero"
32:33 - "Candela"
34:38 - "Amor de Loca Juventud"
35:55 - "Orgullecida"
37:03 - "Murmullo"
39:48 - "Buena Vista Social Club (Title Track)"
44:38 - "La Bayamesa"
46:12 - Peter's BIG Reveal
47:40 - The BEST Moments on BVSC
49:33 - Categories: Bespoke Playlists, Quibble Bits and Snobometer
51:52 - What to Listen to Next
54:19 - Open Studio Plays "Chan Chan"