Miles Davis (Pt. 1): Blasting Bebop, Blasting Racism, and a Devastating Heroin Habit

Miles Davis is jazz’s first and only rock star, with the rap sheet to prove it. He did enough cocaine to run down the entirety of 52nd street, and pimped out women when performing wasn’t paying the bills. At one point, his heroin habit was so public that clubs who had once welcomed his brilliant bebop instead froze him out completely. When he wasn’t vying to keep his rightful spot in jazz’s upper echelon, he was doing time at Rikers Island or dodging racist cops on the prowl for any junkie they could find. Miles Davis invented cool, but nearly destroyed himself in the process.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners and includes descriptions of domestic violence.

This episode was originally published on May 3, 2022.

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