I was never critical of Sabbath or Slayer, but it did take me an awfully long time to correct my general ignorance. Herbie Hancock's 'Headhunters' and some of the Jaco-era Weather Report, however, I roundly dismissed during my avant-snob, free-jazz-totalitarian phase in college, only to discover much later how special they are. And in my fetish for hyper-technical, chops-monster drummers back then, I certainly never saw much in the likes of Sid Catlett and Jo Jones. Now I can understand their brilliance. I certainly took Vivaldi and his ilk for granted until recently, when I've heard such performers as Guiliano Carmignola and Andrea Marcon play the living shit out of it. And in dismissing his consistency, it took me years to discover both how avant-garde Haydn was for his day, and how funny he could be, to boot. Steve Smith ssmith36@sprynet.com