This is the beginning of Alyn Shipton's personal journey, starting with building a record collection in his schooldays, covering Fats Waller, Muggsy Spanier, and Artie Shaw. He hears the Ken Colyer band at 16, having already started playing the bass with various bands in Surrey and Hampshire. He cheekily invites Colyer to guest with his group, and ends up joining Colyer's band (with whom he records). He combines research into Colyer and such associates as the singer Rosina Scudder, with a widening appreciation of jazz. On the one hand, he plays with and gets to know Mike Westbrook and Lol Coxhill. On the other, he becomes lifelong friends with reseracher and trumpeter John Chilton and critic and singer George Melly. He plays in London with Mike Casimir's band first meeting such Americans as Kid Thomas and Alvin Alcorn.

After Gillespie's return fron California, the big band he formed had a rhythm section of John Lewis, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson and Kenny Clarke. This chapter explores how that quartet became the MJQ and developed into one of the most influential jazz groups of the 1950s to the 1980s. Shipton discusses basses with Percy Heath and the difficulties of playing both piano and vibes with Milt Jackson.