As told to Jeffrey P. Green.Jamaican jazz trumpeter Leslie Thompson moved to England in 1929. In 1930 he began playing with Spike Hughes, with whom he played trumpet, trombone, and double bass until 1932. In 1934–35 Thompson toured Europe with Louis Armstrong, then formed his own band, intended to be all-black (although initially with two white trombonists who blacked up) with the help of Ken \"Snakehips\" Johnson, who himself took over control of this band in 1936.In 1936–37 Thompson played with Benny Carter, and later in the 1930s played double bass with Edmundo Ros. Thompson served in the Royal Artillery on the south coast during World War II and was active in dance halls and nightclubs after the war, but stopped playing music professionally after 1954 and later became a parole officer.Thompson\'s autobiography was first published by Rabbit Press in 1985, and was reissued as Swing from a Small Island - The Story of Leslie Thompson by Northway Publications in 2009, when Chris Searle commented in the Morning Star: \"Thompson’s story is one to read, one to learn from and one to remember\".221pp of text, plus 16 of b/w photographs.Scarce first edition. In very good condition. No dustjacket. Pages pristine. Very slight bumping to corner. Spine slightly cocked.