John Dankworth was born in 1927; a child of the golden age of jazz, he lived with, worked with and befriended many of the all-time 'greats', among them Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Corea, Benny Goodman and Nat 'King' Cole. John Dankworth is a performer, a composer, an arranger, a conductor; and he still plays to packed audiences all over the world. His life has spanned virtually the entire history of jazz. His story is a flood of memory, anecdote and encounter, irrevocably shaped by the musical events and artists from both sides of that phenomenal jazz divide - the coming of bebop.

With candour, Dankworth presents his unique view of the music he was born to create. This delightful memoir ranges from the acquisition of his first somewhat suspect clarinet to his triumphant US concerts with his wife, Cleo Laine. More than anything it is a fascinating insight into the many-talented figures who added their contribution to jazz's first century.

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