All That Jazz

Having long adored jazz and abhorred rock with equal fervor, and doggedly maintained that the only merit in popular music lies in the standards, I always swell with pride and vindication when a new jazz artist surfaces or an erstwhile pop-rocker sees the light. Heckman’s article on the proliferation of jazz singers triggered in this retired dentist a veritable orgy of triumphant euphoria!

My only criticism is his failure to cite Toni Tennille, whose statuesque beauty and magnificent voice dominated the recently closed “Stardust,” a delightful revue based on the music of Mitchell Parish.

I never thought I’d see the day. Thanks, Don!

DR. MARVIN H. LEAF

Santa Monica