The RH Factor’s Hard Groove might sound uncontroversial to modern ears, but in the early 2000s it was revolutionary. With this record, Roy Hargrove broke away from the straight-ahead jazz revival of the Young Lions era and created something entirely new. Hard Groove blended Roy’s trumpet with the voices of R&B and soul heavyweights like D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Common, artists whose platinum-selling albums (Voodoo, Mama’s Gun, Like Water for Chocolate) already featured Roy’s melodic horn playing and orchestral arrangements.

With Hard Groove, Roy flipped the script: instead of lending his sound to the hip hop and neo-soul world, he invited those artists into a jazz record. The result was a landmark project that blurred genres and redefined what jazz could be in the 21st century.

You'll Hear It has been nominated for a Listener's Choice award for Best Music Podcast at the Signal Awards. Vote for us here: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2025/shows/genre/music

Want more neo-soul? Check out our Voodoo episode: https://youtu.be/AYqmFNF2s0U

Watch the documentary "Hargrove": https://www.hargrovedocumentary.com/

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Joni Mitchell’s Blue, a folk masterpiece, has inspired jazz musicians since its release in 1971. Is it because she sings like a horn player? Her improvisational melodies? Her unconventional chord structures? Her confessional songwriting?

We dive into every song on Blue, breaking down her favorite chords and her vocal phrasing to understand what makes this album great. You’ll never hear this record the same way again.

Watch to the end to see the Open Studio band’s extended interpretation of our favorite song off this record: “River.”

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John Coltrane's A Love Supreme: Some call it the greatest album of the 20th century. Others say it isn't even Coltrane's best album ... of 1965.

No matter where you think it sits in the jazz music canon, Coltrane's love letter to God is a masterpiece. We break it down track-by-track, chord-by-chord to uncover what makes this album such a rewarding listen from front to back.

This week marks 99 years since Coltrane's birth. In his honor, we look back at this episode from 2024, where we listen deeply to what just may be Coltrane's magnum opus.

Looking for more Coltrane? Here are 6 Songs To Turn Coltrane Curious Into Coltrane Converted:
https://youtu.be/aSdNNTmL7Yk

Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs:
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