Critic Martin Gayford tells the stories of his encounters and friendships with leading jazz musicians as a fan, an amateur music promoter and, latterly, as a journalist.

The British pianist Marian McPartland found fame across the Atlantic, spending six decades at the heart of the swinging New York jazz scene and hosting a long-running National Public Radio programme. When Martin brought her to Cambridge for a concert, he reflected on their shared suburban upbringings.ii.