Clarke Peters concludes the series exploring Miles Davis's final decade. After nearly five years of reclusive silence, Miles emerges from his New York brownstone, determined to channel a new generation of musicians to spark his final reinvention of jazz. Miles is back! News of the comeback ignites the media, and packed audiences, from rock royalty to his old jazz associates, flock to his early gigs, left reeling as Miles boldly pushes the genre squarely into the electronic age.
Through albums like The Man with the Horn and the Grammy-winning Tutu, Miles and his visionary key collaborator, Marcus Miller, stubbornly defy the critics to forge a triumphant new legacy. Along the way, he crosses paths with Prince, while his late-career sonic experiments deeply inspire a burgeoning generation of hip-hop artists.
But It wasn't just the music that was rejuvenated. With the fierce support of his wife, actress Cicely Tyson, Miles battles back from the severe physical pain and exhausting excesses of the 1970s to clean up his lifestyle. Yet, as his fragile body is pushed to its absolute limits, a lingering question remains - how much longer can his flame burn? Before the final curtain falls, a man who spent a lifetime refusing to retrace his steps prepares one last, profound twist - a closing gesture that forces him to look back and finally embrace the very past he spent decades running from.
Narrator and longtime fan Clarke Peters (The Wire, The Boroughs, 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 is a searching investigation into an artist capable of the most sublime beauty and the most brutal behaviour - 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 HitchcockExecutive Producer: Rami TzabarEditor: Kirsten LassCommissioning Editors at the BBC: Dan Clarke and Matthew DoddProduction Manager: Emily DuffyMusic Consultant: Guy BarkerAdditional Music by Guy Barker, James Pearson and Joseph TzabarArchivist: Simon RooksScript Consultant: Anne HarbinTechnical Production and Sound Design: Melvin RickarbyA Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4Tracks featured:
Zimbabwe - Miles Davis
Gondwana - Miles DavisShout - Miles DavisThe Man with the Horn - MIles DavisUrsula - Miles DavisFast Track - Miles DavisMy Man's Gone Now - George and Ira Gerswhin, feat. Miles DavisTime After Time - Cyndi Lauper feat. Miles DavisTutu - Marcus Miller feat. Miles DavisPortia - Marcus Miller feat. Miles DavisFull Nelson - Marcus Miller feat. Miles DavisI believe - Courtney PineCan I Kick it? - A Tribe Called Quest/Lou ReedAirbag - RadioheadBoplicity - Miles DavisIt Never Entered my Mind - Rogers and Hart feat. Miles DavisMy Funny Valentine - Rogers and Hart feat. Miles DavisJohn McLaughlin, Bill Evans and Marcus Miller from BBC Jazz File with Ian Carr, 2001.
Miles Davis from Talking Jazz with Ben Sidran, 1986Q Tip from Red Bull Academy, 2013Jonny Greenwood from The Adam Buxton podcast, 2016