How All About Jazz Reimagines Songs in the Key of Life as Jazz: Part 1

# What this feature does

All About Jazz celebrates the 50th anniversary of Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life by running through the double LP (plus the Something's Extra EP) track by track, but with a single change: every selection is a jazz rendition. Part 1 is the first installment of that series and takes the form of a radio playlist on Mondo Jazz, hosted by Ludovico Granvassu.

# How Part 1 is presented

The presentation follows the exact sequence of the original LP. Each track is played as an existing jazz interpretation by a named artist. The playlist runs like a radio program, with short host segments separating selections. The aim is to celebrate the album's song-by-song legacy while showing how different jazz musicians reinterpret the material.

# Who appears in Part 1

Part 1's playlist pairs a specific jazz performer or ensemble with each song. Artists and pairings noted in the playlist include:

• Ben Allison — "Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)"
• Jalen Baker (vibraphone) — "Love's In Need of Love Today"
• Doug Wamble (guitar) — "Have a Talk with God"
• Najee (saxophone) — "Village Ghetto Land"
• Zoe Rahman (piano) — "Contusion"
• Avishai Cohen with Yonathan Avishai (bass and piano) — "Sir Duke"
• Stochelo Rosenberg (guitar) — "I Wish"
• Warren Wolf (vibraphone) — "Knocks Me Off My Feet"

# Context and continuity

Part 1 is the opening installment of a three-part series. Part 2 and Part 3 follow the same concept, continuing through the album's full tracklist. The feature also notes that the original Songs in the Key of Life has substantial historical links to jazz: musicians such as Herbie Hancock, Dorothy Ashby, George Benson, Bobbi Humphrey, and others were involved with or connected to the original recording and its sound. That background helps explain why the album lends itself to jazz reinterpretation.

# Format and listening experience

The segment is formatted like a radio show: music tracks interspersed with brief host commentary. Each selection carries timing markers in the playlist, so listeners can see when host talk occurs and where each jazz rendition begins. The playlist sources include releases on labels such as ECM and Marsalis Music and tribute compilations.

# Why this matters to listeners

• For listeners familiar with Stevie Wonder's original, the series offers a way to experience familiar songs through jazz arrangements, highlighting melodic and harmonic reinterpretation.
• For jazz listeners, the playlist showcases how contemporary and established jazz artists adapt pop-soul material into jazz settings.
• The sequence approach preserves the narrative flow of the original double LP, letting listeners compare how mood and pacing change when songs are re-voiced in different idioms.

# Where to find more

All About Jazz carries Parts 2 and 3 of the series as follow-ups. The site also provides program listings for Mondo Jazz and other shows where these playlists appeared.