Hipper Than Thou?

Walker is right: There are problems with the current relationship between jazz and “The Tonight Show.”

There was no such problem during the show’s first four years. Given that its host, Steve Allen, was himself a jazz musician, Allen made it a point not only to book jazz greats as guests but also let them do two or three numbers, sometimes sitting in himself for one last encore.

Moreover, Allen could speak knowledgeably on the subject. Jazz lovers of the ‘50s may still recall his not only booking Thelonious Monk but also doing a five-minute lecture-introduction to Monk, who then played a three-minute number.

FRANK LIBERMAN

Beverly Hills