The Miles Davis Story: 1. Don't Call Me Legend

Clarke Peters explores the life and legacy of a visionary artist whose relentless pursuit of the "new" often scorched his own life and the lives of those around him.

In September 1944, an 18-year-old Miles Davis arrives in New York with a trumpet in his hand and a secret mission. He may have first arrived in New York to take up a place at the prestigious Juilliard School, but in reality Miles was actually patrolling the smoke-filled jazz clubs of 52nd Street, chasing the high-speed sounds of his bebop heroes, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

Across the series, Clarke charts Miles’s ever-evolving artform, starting with this first great transformation of a legend - when the young Miles chose to step into the unknown, seize control of his own creative destiny, and begin his journey as a leader.

Narrator, acclaimed actor and longtime fan, Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Da 5 Bloods) reveals the restless genius and radical evolution of Miles Davis. Growing up in a New York household where his father’s jazz records were the permanent soundtrack, Clarke was captivated by Miles long before he fully appreciated the man behind the music. Across five episodes, Clarke traces a 50 year odyssey of constant reinvention - from a teenage outsider chasing the bebop revolution 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 and legendary tracks with fresh perspectives from a range of creators, the series reveals how Miles’ influence ripples far beyond the world of jazz. We discover how his "take no shit" attitude and aesthetic fearlessness impacted on the likes of Oscar-winning filmmakers, celebrated designers and music icons like Prince, Joni Mitchell, Sting and even bands like Radiohead, as well as generations of now also legendary jazz musicians that he championed early in their careers - John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Keith Jarrett and Marcus Miller, to name a few.

The series also grapples with the darker side of Miles’ legacy, including the domestic abuse that left a trail of pain for those closest to him and the substance issues that took a deep toll on his health. It asks difficult questions about how to regard an artist capable of creating the most sublime aesthetic statements while engaging in brutal behaviour.

Clarke Peters, whose own creative journey as an actor was sparked by Miles’s music, leads a searching investigation into a man who refused to be palatable, refused to be a "legend", and simply refused to stop moving forward.

Miles Davis Interview: From Jazz Talking by Ben Sidran, 1986. The Arsenio Hall Show, Paramount, originally broadcast in 1989. 60 Minutes, CBS News. Originally broadcast in 1989

Featured tracks (in order of appearance) “So What” – Miles Davis “Blue in Green” – Miles Davis (feat. John Coltrane & Bill Evans) “Bitches Brew” – Miles Davis "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" - MIles Davis “Agitation” – Miles Davis “Flamenco Sketches” – Miles Davis & Bill Evans “Ko Ko” – Charlie Parker “Salt Peanuts” – Dizzy Gillespie "Jivin with Jack the Bellboy" - Miles Davis "Move" - Miles Davis "Moon Dreams" - Miles Davis "Boplicity" - Miles Davis

Presenter: Clarke Peters Series Producer: Clem Hitchcock Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Kirsten Lass Production Manager: Emily Duffy Music Consultant: Guy Barker Additional Music: 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