A Grace Note for Shaw

In 1998 at the Wilshire Theatre, Artie Shaw regaled crowds once again (minus clarinet), directing old favorites (obituary, Dec. 31). A swing music radio host in L.A. at the time, I was luckily granted tickets and a visit backstage. Ever the curmudgeon, he lamented how the concert interrupted his nightly read in bed. Artie then turned to me (I was a teenager at the time) and offered a grandfatherly wink and said, “But it’s a good business if you have to pick one.”

Julienne Gard

Long Beach