Buck Clayton' autobiography spans nearly 75 years and contains fascinating insights into American social history, as well as the life of one of the most significant trumpeters and bandleaders in jazz. During his childhood in Parsons, Kansas, he learnt the trumpet and came into contact with church and gospel music. He settled on the West Coast in the early 1930s and began to play jazz professionally. After a Hollywood style wedding, he took a band to Shanghai in 1934. Following his return to the U.S.A. he became involved in the Count Basie Orchestra. He went to New York with Basie and stayed with the band until he entered the U.S. Army in the 1940s. Buck describes his work as a soloist and leader in the U.S.A. and Europe and his more recent career as an arranger and composer. Clayton's reminiscences cover many of the most important names in jazz, in particular Billie Holiday and Count Basie. His work with Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Jimmy Rushing and many others is recounted in detail.

CONTENTS:
One Morning in Parsons, Kansas
Los Angeles and the West Coast
Shanghai
I Never Heard Such Swinging Music
Basie
In Uncle Sam's Army
JATP and a Trip To Europe
A New Phase In My Career
From New York To Australia
Humphrey Lyttelton and my English Tours
Health Problems
Still Swinging
Chronological discography by Bob Weir

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