BOLERO’S INFLUENCE

I agree with David Davis (Letters,

April issue) that Ravel’s Bolero is worthier of admiration than many people – including the composer – have ever seemed willing to grant it. Jack Casady, the bassist for the American rock band Jefferson Airplane, has said that when he heard fellow band member Grace Slick’s song White Rabbit it reminded him of Ravel’s piece. When the time came to record it, he invented a bass line reminiscent of Bolero’s insistent pulse. The song, now over 50 years old, was an instant hit. Its enduring popularity has less to do with the psychedelic lyrics than with the song’s compelling structure and its irresistable, unstoppable crescendo. David English, Massachusetts, US