VARIOUS ARTISTS—Honkers and Screamers/Roots of Rock 'n' Roll Vol. 6 (Savoy):: Here's a real room clearer, 30 cuts from '48 thru '61 featuring five of the all time frenzied tenor sax players—Lee Allen, Big Jay McNeely, Hal "Cornbread" Singer, Sam "The Man" Taylor, Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams. The emphasis here is on loud, rough-textured funk played with a heavy back beat and it's clearly a pre cursor to Heavy Metal aesthetics (blitz level), punk (compact catharsis), and the Archie Shepp blow-outs of the 60's and 70's. Tho this is vintage stuff it's hard to imagine listening to it with scholarly detachment 'cause this is party music, Jack, and if you ain't in the mood to party, then you're gonna be blown back. Better believe it

R.C.W.