Critic’s Up on Latin Beat

Regarding “Appreciating ‘Latin Dance Music’ as Art” (March 30): Anyone who has the slightest acquaintance with Leonard Feather’s writing knows that he has not in the least slighted the component of jazz that has a Latin beat. Reviews and other comments that Feather has done regarding Chano Pozo, Machito, Willie Bobo, Mongo Santamaria and countless others attest sufficiently well to that fact. Similarly, Feather’s comments about “Latin-influenced” artists such as Tjader and Shearing reflect his due sensitivity to that genre’s place in jazz.

It is hard to imagine the failure to recognize that Feather’s criticism of that particular session (“Poncho Sanchez’s Conga Line” (Feb. 3) was just that and not intended as any kind of slight, nor did it evince any cultural bias.

I read the review and only concluded from his advice that he did not find the performance particularly moving nor especially evocative of jazz. Having seen Sanchez on other occasions--I did not see him on this one--I tend to agree that this is characteristic of his presentations.

JAMES T. DONOVAN

La Crescenta