Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 137

E6 Asbury Part PressSunday, September 4, 1 988 Music Reviews Wells may be on track for record deal like the Stone Pony have been infiJ Wells and members of his backup band received friends and guests. "How did we do?" was the question most beard from the musicians. "Great Really great," was the common response. Mike Wells might be the Shore's next artist to secure a major recording contract Not only is Warner Brothers lent said backstage at the Pony. "He's come a long way since I started working with him about a year ago.

He was and still is always willing to take advice, and he's worked real hard. He's got an incredible desire to make it in this business. If you tell him to go away, he just doesn't hear you. He'll "I think Mike is about six months away (from a recording contract). Gary Tallent, Street Band bass player keep coming back." "Playing music onstage and making records are what I want to do," Wells said.

"They're what I always wanted to do." interested, but Columbia and Atlantic also have expressed serious interest Atlantic even commissioned a two-song demo tape, which Wells made with Tallent before the bass player went on tour last winter with Bruce Springsteen and the rest of the Street Band. "I think Mike is about six months away from getting a record deal," Tal- Wells' strong point is his song- Although Wells isn't exactly a new-writing. Most of his original tunes, comer to the Shore music scene, his including "All that Money Can Buy" appearances in major Shore rock clubs By ROBERT SANTELU Press Correspondent Last weekend at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, singer-songwriter Mike Wells got a taste of the pressure that goes with making it in the music business. For starters, Wells' producer, Street Band bass player Garry Tallent, who had never seen Wells perform live, was in the audience. So were members of the press.

Even more important, an AAR (Artist St Repertoire) representative from Warner Brothers Records drove down from New York to scout Wells and his band. As it turned out, Wells impressed all who came to hear him. Despite technical problems with the sound system. Wells, Union Beach, was called back to the stage for an encore, something rarely experienced by opening acts these days. (Wells and his band opened up for Bobby Bandiera.) Backstage, after his set, a sweaty Santana The Associated Press When jazz great Miles Davis recently praised the originality of Carlos Santana, the low-key musician expressed satisfaction that he still strikes a singular chord on the musical scene after two decades.

"For Miles to tell me this, hey, that's a great compliment, but it shows that I'm not on stagnant water," said Santana, who's admired for his stirring guitar solos. "Stagnant water stinks. You need water to go out, you need water to come in all the time. And in order to do it, you have to become a student Once you have a master's and you know everything, it's a drag." To keep his music flowing, Santana will release a three-record LP early next month and has launched a tour that reunites Gregg Rolie, Jose "Chepito" Areas and Michael Shrieve, three original members of the band that evolved and "Partners in Crime," two of Wells' more popular numbers, are richly melodic and full of carefully crafted hooks. You can hear traces of Buddy Holly, Marshall Crenshaw, Chuck Berry, Willie Nelson, and Bruce Springsteen in his songs, although Wells considers Roy Orbison one of his greatest inspirations.

"I think all my influences come from those artists who aren't slick," Wells continued. "That's why Garry (Tallent) and I really hit it off. We both appreciate the same kind of rock roll." of life. People play for many different reasons and all of them according to their heart's capacity. My capacity tells me that I can do a great service by doing music correctly.

People know when you're playing something from your heart and when you're just giving lip service." Before Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine began doing the "Conga" and Los Lobos started playing "Tex-Mex," Santana was infusing his music with the "Latin rhythm." In past cuts such as "Samba Pa Ti," "Oye Como Va" and "Black Magic Woman," Santana showcased "salsa" when it was still considered something to add to Mexican dishes. Still, most of the recent publicity surrounding Hispanic-theme movies "La Bamba," "Stand and Deliver" and "Milagro Beanfield War" and Latin-rhythm musical groups fail to even mention Santana. "For Gloria Estefan and Los Lobos quent That because we ve been coi centreline on studio work more th. anything else. When we have plavJ out, it been in small ciuds up arour the Keansburg area.

Wells' backup band is comprised 1 lead guitarist Mark Henry. South Plai field; keyboards player Tony Cianl lome. Long Branch; drummer Dan i licastro, Keansburg, and bass plau-I Chuck West, Long Branch. In addiiu to singing lead, Wells also plays rhythi guitar. Wells said he and his band return to taiienis snoreiirc Kecorairi Studios in Long Branch to record brand new batch of songs, once Taller I completes his bass-playing chores will Springsteen and the Street Band ol the Amnesty International tour, worldwide concert series, which aKl will feature Sting, Peter Gabriel anJ Tracy Chapman, is scheduled to con elude sometime in November.

"In the meantime, we'll reheard and write and tighten up our live set. Wells said. "There is plenty for us to and to polish up while Garry is and all the other Spanish-speaking peo ple today, if they want to go to iht future, they got to go through me first' Santana said. On the other hand, Santana ex pressed satisfaction his music has noil been easily categorized, and points out I his innovative music has endured fori two decades. "1 consider myself a musician and stylist, in bringing forth a certain thing that all generations can relate to," hel said.

"That's better for me than beinj; something mega-everything for three yean." The new album, titled "Viva San is the latest of 25 LPs released during his career. He also cut albums I with Buddy Miles and John McLaugh lin. The tour began Aug. 26 at Tacoma. Wash.

Some scheduled stops include St. Louis, Richmond, New York, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, and Los Angeles. still emerging as rock innovator DCL REEVES. "Baby. I Lov You" (Bar Family) Reeves' voica too faint and cmotioniest to quairfy him for country muK greatneu he sounds hk Marty Roboms without the vibrato but thu representative sampling from Reeves' career during the late 50 and early '60s does a good job of rescuing him from obscurity He was most comfortable with the low-down "Bakersfield sound" style of honky-tonk and employed the ultimate Bakersfield stylist.

Buck Owens, as his guitarist. Alas, Reeves was also forced, for commercial reasons, to record a lot of mediocre rockabilly tunes, and fewer of these would have been appreciated here But "Be Quiet, Mind," Empty House" and "I Closed My Eyes and Saw the Light" are terrific songs of heartbreak and regret (Available from Down Home Music. 10341 San Pablo Ave El Cernto, Calif. 94530, 415-525-1494) FREDDIE JACKSON, "Don't Let Love Slip Away" (Capitol) Jackson's previous albums presented a smooth balladeer with a personality on the bland side, but this, easily his best collection to date, offers the singer as an interesting young romantic. "Nice N' Slow," the album's first single, is the usual steamy tease, but "One Heart Too Many" is a terrific piece of modern rhythm and blues, and the rest of the album is nearly as strong.

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL, "Western Standard Time" (Epic) Lacking a replacement for departed songwriter Leroy Preston and perhaps sick and tired, after all these years, of its well-respected cult status, the band goes for shameless novelty tunes and reworked country classics this time around. The novelties, from "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" to "Hot Rod Lincoln," are embarrassing; the classics, from the old Leroy VanOyke hit "Walk on By" to Ernest Tubb's "Walking the Floor Over You." are a lot of fun. MARK O'CONNOR, "Elysian Forest" (Warner Bros.) If you have to listen to New-Age-y sort of music, this is probably the stuff to doze to. O'Connor's violin sound provides a tart contrast to the tinkling chimes and rumbling bass that frequently surround it. Only when he simpers through "Both Sides Now" do you realize just how fawning this music is.

THE STYLE COUNCIL. "Confessions of a Pop Group" (Polydor) As the album title suggests, this is rather self-conscious rock music, created by one of the most intensely self-conscious of all British pop musicians, songwriter-producer-singer Paul Weller. Stylistically, the music is remarkably diverse Beach-Boys pop here, a string quartet there, cinematic mood music everywhere. Weller and his collaborators keyboardist Mick Talbot and singer Dee C. Lee seem to be meditating on the idea that a pop trio can make any kind of music without losing its rock status.

RESTLESS HEART, "Big Dreams in Small Town" (RCA) Is there any vocal group whose country music is more bland than this outfit's? Sure there's the Oak Ridge Boys, the Forester Sisters, Southern Pacific the list could go on. But these fellows are impressively bland no hint of character ever invades the singing, no suggestion of music made to do anything other than soothe the listener with its instantly familiar cliches. Km Tucker Knight-Ridder Newspapers STEVE TURRE, "Fire and Ice" (Stash) This follow-up to last year's "Viewpoint," trombonist Turre's long overdue debut as a leader, is every bit as fresh and imaginative. On some tracks, Turre's quartet (with pianist Cesar Walton, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Higgins) nestles with Quartette indigo (with cellist Akua Dixon, including "Evil Ways," "Black Magic Woman," "Oye Como Va," "Soul Sacrifice" and "Europa" the 4 1 -year-old Santana has continued experimenting. The new anthology, including some unreleased cuts, serves to "give a testimony of the things we have become and lived." "We're looking to take the music further.

I mean, play the music and respect it for the way you play it, but also embrace the future and take some new chances," Santana said. "We want to serve the people with our music," he said. "Music is a healing force if played correctly. 1 really believe that, aside from being the universal language, it's a healing force and reminds us that we have more things in common than we think." For Santana, who began playing guitar at age 8, music has never been a strictly commercial endeavor. "Music is not to make a living," he said.

"Music is to help the conditioning Listening booths new for CD buyers TV i onn mmm MM, SANTANA is at the Garden State Arts Carter, parkway exit 116, at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $18.50, lawn $13.50. during jam sessions in San Francisco's heavily Hispanic Mission District The Santana Blues Band made its debut in 1968 at the Fillmore West, where Santana recently held court at a small side table overlooking busy Geary Street, talking about his new album, the feelings behind his music and the popularity of Latin-rhythm groups. The Mexican-born Santana arrived in San Francisco in 1961, entering the national spotlight with a show-stopping performance at Woodstock in 1969.

He has gone on to earn 14 gold albums, nine platinum albums and sell more than 25 million records worldwide. Despite a pocketful of popular hits houses five built-in Denon CD players and Koss headphones, giving customers a chance to get an earful of more than 2,000 new releases and used discs. As a marketing tool, the bar which was installed last year has been a great success. In addition to boosting sales, Wilson says that it helps to develop intense customer loyalty: "Students will come back after Christmas or summer vacation and say, 'I hardly bought any discs because I couldn't listen to them first' It's great for building good will. We don't mind if people who only have record and tape players come in to listen, because eventually they'll be into CDs and they'll buy from us." At the mammoth Tower Records in Philadelphia, LP, cassette and CD shoppers are all aided by the Music Sampler, a 7-foot-tall space-age jukebox that allows two customers at a time to don headphones and listen to 30-second excerpts from up to 125 albums.

"It would be next to impossible for me to make every title in stock available for listening," says Tower manager Ted Putman. Though less versatile than the listening bar, the computerized Sampler does not require store employees to help customers play their selections, and Tower customers are delighted to have a listening booth in any form on weekends, short lines form at the Music Sampler. The machine, manufactured by Los Angeles' Interac Corp. (the company also is developing a preview machine for video stores), lets users select from music menus by tapping a screen. Categories from country to heavy metal are available, and there are snippets of three songs from each album title on the system.

Colorful photos of the artists are displayed on a video monitor to accompany their music. The albums available for sampling are determined by record companies, which pay Interac a substantial fee to have their artists included in the system. the Way of the World." This release began a string of gold and platinum albums including "Gratitude," "Spirit," "AH'n'AU" "I Am" and "Raise." They also moved up to the arena circuit with elaborate stage shows featuring such mystical trappings as pyramids and disappearing acts. Some of their biggest hits include "Shining Star," "That's the Way of the World," "Reasons," "Boogie Wonderland" and "Let's Groove." Just leave it to us before the winter cold sets in. Replace your home heating system Receive a Free DAY MIGHT By JIM GLADSTONE Knight-Ridder Newspapers Whether shopping for big-ticket items or indulging in small pleasures, consumers love free samples.

From a test drive of a sports car we couldn't possibly afford to a taste of the latest gourmet ice cream, leisure and luxury items are among our favorite freebies. So why not pop music? Served up on those 12-plus silver platters called compact discs, it's become more of a luxury than ever. Well, step right up for your free samples of music, folks the listening booth is back. Back in the 50s and '60s, when low-cost 45-rpm singles were the most popular format for recorded music, thousands of independent mom-and-pop record stores across the country provided listening booths. These little cubicles were equipped with turntables, headphones and sample singles for the convenience of customers choosing among a number of prospective purchases.

But the blossoming of the vinyl LP which made scratched samples more expensive to replace and the advent of record-store chains which put customer service far below profits led to the demise of the booths by the mid-'60s. Now the CD revolution is starting to change things. Customers once willing to gamble eight bucks on the chance that they'd like a new record feel that they're betting over their heads when it comes to compact discs, which can cost nearly twice that much. "CDs aren't cheap, and you don't want to invest in something you don't know much about," says Jim Wilson, a co-owner of Discovery Disc, a small, CD-only store in Philadelphia that is in the University of Pennsylavania's Houston Hall Mall. Tall stools line a sleek black 1 1-foot "listening bar" that GAS YARD LAMP Make a memorable architectural statement for home and business, provide security if power is out, bring back the charming glow of the past.

violist Melvyn Roundtree and violinists John Blake and Gayle Dixon), and the results fulfill the promise that Turre displayed in his writing for the similarly gap-bridging Max Roach Double Quartet. Meanwhile, the tracks with just the rhythm section reaffirm Turre's standing In the front ranks of contemporary trombone soloists. JOE MORRIS, "Human Rites" (Rltl) Like most jazz soloists, this New England guitarist has a tendency to improvise at too great a length, but he grabs you with his controlled frenzy. This two-record set on Morris' own label, with Sebastian Steinberg on bass and Thurman Barker and Jerry Deupree alternating on drums, is notable for both its pounding swing and its sonic exploration. BRANFORD MARSALIS, "Random Abstract" (Columbia) Critic Martin Williams once characterized Stan Getz as a man playing a jazz solo, a harsh judgment better suited to the eldest brother of the Marsalis clan, who on his fourth album as a leader artfully evokes Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane Ben Webster Thought About and even Ornette Coleman and a sloppy interpretation of "Lonely but he just makes you long for the originals.

DAVE BRUBECK, "Moscow Night" (Concord Jazz) Apart from the fact that it was recorded in concert in the Soviet Union, this new CD isn't much different from most of the quartet albums that Brubeck has made since the late Paul Desmond left the band. Brubeck has never swung and is never going to. But he achieves his own kind of Hit in the Soviet Union, and his earnestness will win you over. Francis Davis Knight-Ridder Newspapers TCHAIKOVSKY: STRING QUARTETS Nos. 1-3.

"Borodin String Quartet, with guest artists Natalia Gutman, cello, and Yuri Bashmet, viola" (EMIMelodlya CDS 7497752) Russia's supreme melodist albeit its most sentimental wrote strongly in every medium, although the symphonies, ballets and concertos get the most attention. Many of his 100 songs are jewels, and his three string quartets, while perhaps less satisfying for their vigor and more repetitive format, offer innumerable satisfactions for those who are not averse to frank sentiment and melancholy. A valuable two-disc compilation, it contains the "String Sextet in minor" (Op. 70) "S'-uvonir de Florence," which finds Tr' sky in an atypically radiant, even rood. Here, the 3orodin in joined i "utman and violist Bashmet ire vivid, though the compact v.

ien set at moderate volume, soui Js unduly loud. Lesley Vaides Knight-Ridder Newspapers BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! PLUMBING SALES TOMS RIVER 370-7128 HEATING AIR CONDITIONING SERVICE INSTALLATION HOWELL FINANCING AVAILABLE 364-0711 Earth, Wind and Fire to play To Place A Classified Ad Call HOLM DEL TOWNSHIP Earth, Wind and Fire is scheduled to perform at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Garden State Arts Center, parkway exit 116. This concert was originally scheduled for July 12. Tickets for this date will be honored at this performance.

Remaining tickets are $15 for lawn seating. Earth, Wind and Fire's first Columbia album, "Open Your Eyes," went to number 15 in 1974. The following year, they released "That's.