In this collection of musical portraits, jazz pianist and radio host Marian McPartland pays tribute to such beloved and legendary figures as Benny Goodman, Bill Evans, Joe Morello, Paul Desmond, Alec Wilder, Mary Lou Williams, and others. McPartland's reminiscences and anecdotes about these jazz greats are informed by her encyclopedic knowledge of their music, making this richly detailed collection an important addition to the literature of jazz.

In a preface to this edition, McPartland extends her commentary to include details of her long-running National Public Radio show Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz and memories of her late husband, famed Chicago trumpeter Jimmy McPartland.