Miles Ahead is a wildly entertaining and moving exploration of one of 20th century music’s creative geniuses, Miles Davis, featuring a career defining performance by Oscar nominee Don Cheadle in the title role. Working from a script he co-wrote with Steven Baigelman, Cheadle’s bravura directorial debut is not a conventional bio-pic but rather a unique, no-holds barred portrait of a singular artist in crisis.

In the midst of a dazzling and prolific career at the forefront of modern jazz innovation, Miles Davis (Cheadle) virtually disappears from public view for a period of five years in the late 1970s. Alone and holed up in his home, he is beset by chronic pain from a deteriorating hip, his musical voice stifled and numbed by drugs and pain medications, his mind haunted by unsettling ghosts from the past.

A wily music reporter, Dave Braden (Ewan McGregor) forces his way into Davis’ house and, over the next couple of days, the two men unwittingly embark on a wild and sometimes harrowing adventure to recover a stolen tape of the musician’s latest compositions. Davis’ mercurial behavior is fueled by memories of his failed marriage to the talented and beautiful dancer Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi). During their romance and subsequent marriage, Frances served as Davis’ muse. It was during this period that he released several of his signature recordings including the groundbreaking “Sketches of Spain” and “Someday My Prince Will Come.”

The idyll however, was short lived. The eight-year marriage was marked by infidelity and abuse, and Frances was forced to flee for her own safety as Miles’ mental and physical health deteriorated.

By the late ‘70s, plagued by years of regret and loss, Davis flirts with annihilation until he once again finds salvation in his art.

Track listing:

1. Miles Ahead

2. Dialogue: It takes a long time…

3. So What

4. Taylor Made Taylor Eigsti

5. Dialogue: Listen, you talk too goddam much…

6. Solea (excerpt)

7. Seven Steps To Heaven (edit)

8. Dialogue: If you gonna tell a story…

9. Nefertiti (edit)

10. Frelon Brun

11. Dialogue: Sometimes you have these thoughts…

12. Duran (take 6) (edit)

13. Dialogue: You own my music…

14. Go Ahead John (part two C)

15. Black Satin (edit)

16. Dialogue: Be musical about this shit…

17. Prelude #II

18. Dialogue: Yall listening to them…?

19. Juniors Jam Robert Glasper, Keyon Harrold, Marcus Strickland

20. Francessence Robert Glasper, Keyon Harrold, Elena Pinderhughes

21. Back Seat Betty (excerpt)

22. Dialogue: I dont like the word jazz…

23. Whats Wrong With That? Don Cheadle, Robert Glasper, Gary Clark, Jr.,Herbie Hancock, Keyon Harrold, Antonio Sanchez, Esperanza Spaulding, Wayne Shorter

24. Gone 2015 Robert Glasper, Keyon Harrold, Pharoahe Monch