3. Miles in Blue

Available for over a year

Clarke Peters explores what many consider the apex of Miles Davis’s career: 1959, the year of Kind of Blue. It was a time of tailored suits, fast cars, and a radical new sound that redefined the 20th-century idea of cool. Clarke takes us inside the legendary Columbia studio to witness the birth of the best-selling jazz album of all time - a recording session where Miles’ scrawled notes transformed the genre forever. But beneath the surface of this "sublime" era, Miles’ life didn't always run as smooth as his music. Clarke explores the uncomfortable collision of professional triumph and personal volatility, as his relationship with his soon to be wife, dancer Frances Taylor, was tested by the same uncompromising drive that fuelled his art. The episode reaches a pivotal climax just days after the album’s release. Despite his global stardom, a brutal encounter with the police outside a New York club served as a savage reminder that, for a Black man in 1959 America, the "cool" was never a shield from social reality. Narrator and longtime fan Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme) explores the restless genius and radical evolution of Miles Davis. Across five episodes, Clarke traces a 50 year odyssey of constant reinvention - from a teenage outsider in 1944 to a global icon who redefined what it meant to be Black, to be cool, and to be an artist. Blending archival recordings with fresh perspectives, the series reveals how Miles’ "take no shit" attitude and aesthetic fearlessness influenced everyone from rock stars to Oscar-winning filmmakers. Yet, Clarke also grapples with the darker truths of Miles’ legacy, including the substance issues and domestic abuse that left a trail of pain for those closest to him. It's a searching investigation into an artist capable of the most sublime beauty and the most brutal behavior - a man who refused to be palatable, refused to be a "legend", and simply refused to stop moving forward. Presenter: Clarke Peters Series Producer: Clem Hitchcock Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Kirsten Lass Production Manager: Emily Duffy Music Consultant: Guy Barker Additional music recorded at Ronnie Scott's by James Pearson and Guy Barker Archivist: Simon Rooks Script Consultant: Anne Harbin Technical Production and Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby Commissioning Editors for the BBC: Dan Clarke and Matthew Dodd A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4 Tracks as Featured: 'There is no Greater Love' - Miles Davis Quintet 'Just Squeeze Me' - Miles Davis Quintet 'How am I to Know' - Miles Davis Quintet 'Ah Lei Che' - MIles Davis Quintet 'Freddie Freeloader' - MIles Davis Quintet 'So what' - Miles Davis 'All Blues' - Miles Davis Flamenco Sketches' - Miles Davis and Bill Evans 'Blue in Green' - Miles Davis and Bill Evans 'Bitches Brew' - Miles Davis 'Pharoes Dance' - Miles Davis Frances Taylor from BBC Jazz File: Miles Davis at 80, 2001 Jimmy Cobb from interview with Mike Lanchin, 2014