Song Clearance Sheet
3 sources citedBlue in Green
Jazz1950s111BPM
D minKey
More around 110 BPM → · More in D minor → · More “Cleared After Dispute” →
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The verdict
Cleared After Dispute
A well-documented authorship dispute — Bill Evans said he wrote it (and got a $25 check while Davis took sole credit and royalties) — formally resolved when the Miles Davis estate officially acknowledged Evans’ co-authorship in 2002. From “Kind of Blue,” alongside “So What.”
Used by independents?
Unconfirmed — the page doesn't yet document enough sampler detail to tell.
Quick Facts
Released1959
AlbumKind of Blue
GenreJazz, Modal Jazz
LabelColumbia Records
Recorded atColumbia's 30th Street Studio, New York
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriters of record — Miles Davis & Bill Evans (jointly, per the estate’s 2002 acknowledgment)
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — a widely-covered jazz standard from the best-selling jazz album of all time; the authorship question is formally resolved (joint Davis/Evans).
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; authorship is settled (joint) and extensively performed — no open dispute.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
See every song that samples “Blue in Green” →
Same album, “Kind of Blue” (already in this catalog)
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Miles Davis & Bill Evans (jointly, per the estate’s 2002 acknowledgment)
A formally resolved authorship disputeBill Evans said Davis gave him two chords and he wrote the entire 10-bar form and melody; drummer Jimmy Cobb called it “Bill Evans’s tune.” Evans’ own “Portrait in Jazz” credited it “Davis-Evans,” and the Miles Davis estate officially acknowledged Evans’ co-authorship in 2002.
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
The $25 check
When Evans later approached Davis about a co-writing credit and royalties, Davis allegedly responded with a check for just $25. In a 1979 radio interview Evans said plainly that he wrote the music, while declining to make a legal dispute of it — noting Davis was the one receiving the royalties.
Wikipedia · read it →
Corroborating evidence
Evans’ solo piano intro on Chet Baker’s 1958 “Alone Together” — recorded before the Kind of Blue sessions — carries the same harmonic structure and feeling as “Blue in Green.” Jimmy Cobb, the last surviving session member, directly confirmed it was Evans’ tune.
Loopy Pro Forum · read it →
An atypical form
Evans described it in the original liner notes as “a 10-measure circular form” — unusual for jazz — and it’s the only “Kind of Blue” track without saxophonist Cannonball Adderley.
Wikipedia · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
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Times sampled
A widely-covered jazz standard
Covers
—
First flip
Who to Contact
MD
Miles Davis & Bill Evans (estates)
The jointly-credited writers, per the estate’s 2002 acknowledgment
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 3)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass