Daily News from New York, New York • 544

Jones in the front as funk beats its way back By CLINT ROSWELL IHE CROWD WAS on its feet, dancing to the raw-edged rhythms percolating on the Peppermint Lounge stage. The nine-piece band the street," Jones said. "I think I know what they want and what I want Fortunately, the two coincide. I'm very eager about my new album. It should be finished in a few months.

I'll probably have the same side men as I did at the gig. I really enjoyed that show. It was fun being a front-man and not having to look back." Jones played four sets at the Peppermint Lounge. The first two Jones dominated with a combination of incessant funk and rousing vocals. The third set featured Byrne singing "Houses in Motion," the new single by the Talking Heads off the "Remain in Light" LP.

The fourth set added guitarist Chris Spedding in something of a reunion jam. The night took on proportions of being a revival meeting. The gospel was funk. It had everybody moving. Seen in the crowd, flailing his arms to the beat, was the Who's Pete Townshend, in town after canceling the Who tour in Europe.

"Pete came up on me after the show and told me it was fantastic, that it was the kind of music he was getting into," Jones said. "He asked me if I would be interested in doing some session work for him. of course, gave him my telephone number." Getting in touch with Busta Jones is one of the best ways of keeping in touch with what's happening on the music scene today. The man called Busta is now who the Joneses are trying to keep up with musically. "The bass always attracted me," said Mack Lawrence Jones, before his punchy fret lines earned him the nickname "Buster Bass." "I wasn't ready to break out on my own for a long time and content to do session wcrk, because I didn't want the hassles or have the of dealing with record I wasn't after recognition at many of the points during my career where I could have broken away from the mold and established my own musical identity to the public.

I was never bent On doing all the road work, anyway." JONES KEPT HIS EAR to the street He was in London when the whole punk explosion mushroomed, recording with former Cream producer Felix Papalardi, when he met Brian Eno. Eno had left Roxy Music, one of the more adventuresome English pop groups of the '70s, and started performing gigs with ex-King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. All of this leads to Byrne, a protege of Eno's who has surpassed his mentor, and Jones sort of fell into the experimental vortex of the Byrne-Eno connection. "They were getting into this whole African funk trip, and I could dig it because I felt Africa while I was living in Memphis," Jones said. "There was never this black-white thing with us; it was a matter of feeling and tastes, and we really synched together.

It was a real good learning experience for all of us." 'The career of Jones seems to be an evolving learning process. Starting off with the Bar-Keys, influenced by Jimi'Hendrix that a black could play meshing with white guitarists sudi as Alvin Lee and Chris Spedding, forming his own group, White Lightning in 1975, working with Lee, Frip, Leslie West and now Eno's Talking Heads, all show a cyclical spiral of growth. Jones is also producing an album with Gerry Harrison, the Rhythm Method, -as well as performing on the next Talking Heads album But it's the work of Busta Jones that now singularly excites him the most "I'VE TRIED TO KEEP. fresh musically, not get caught up in the business angles, and keep my ear to turned out a celebration of funk that once again is sweeping the musical front David Byrne was on the left. Gerry Harrison on the right.

And in the middle of these two instrumental forces of the Talking Heads was Busta Jones, the bass player who has brought funk back into the Rhythm and Blues scheme. "That's sort of always been my contribution playing with white groups, but this combo is a whole different story," said Jones, a 29-year-old bassist out of Memphis whose session work includes albums for Robert Fripp, Brian Eno, the Talking Heads, Alvin Lee, Felix Papalardi, as well as fronting the group Sparks with Chris Spedding for two albums in the late seventies. "We've got funk going that's pretty exotic, while remaining raw and to the bea. It's not as rhythmically regimented as disco; heavens, no, there's a lot; more splash to it" JONES APPEARED TO MAKE a bash of it last weekend at the Peppermint Lounge when a dazed crowd simply was floored by the personnel Jones brought on stage. Along with Byrne and Harrison there were keyboardist Bernie Worrell, formerly of Parliament, and Stephen Scales on percussion.

Another drummer. Yogi Horton, and two female singers combined for an undulating beat that snapped with an African funk verve. "I guess we surprised a lot of people," said Jones, talking about the seemingly impromptu all-star lineup, "but these are all the people who have been working with me on my new solo album I've just started, so it really made a lot of sense." This will.be Jones' first solo album after a 13-year career that started down in Memphis as a back-up musician for Otis Redding's Bar-Keys. He was barely 11 at the time, drifting through high school, and looked toward music to find his life's direction. The Talking Heads went into the studio this week to begin recording their fifth the rumors of a live Heads LP are just that, right Adam and the Ants, who played a sold-out crowd at the Ritz this week, will perform again- in "New York at the The Palladium on April 24...

Styx, the group with the No. 1 single in the country, will appear at the Nassau Coliseum, April The Grateful Dead are slated to return to the Coliseum on May 7-9, with good seats still available for the May 7 The Fleshtones at Bonds on The Johnny Average Band at The Savoy on Wednesday. LtoEiom good! toir traiiaeteDD uDaimaDs By DIANE BRUNO and KAREN CROKE i I I 111? 14S f- the three. He reads all the magazines, knows all the statistics plus the rankings of the pro players. Turning pro is just what Cardillo has in mind for himself.

He practices daily, although he views it more as just playing time. In addition, he goes to All Sports Racquet Club in Poughkeepsie several times a week to work out with his coach, Jim Winterton. Winterton, who has played racquetball for ten years and is considered to be one of the best coaches in the East, works with all three boys. "Coach Winterton really knows the game," Chardavoyne commented. "But the best thing about him is he gives you a really positive attitude about yourself and your ability." CHARDAVOYNE SHOULD have a positive attitude about himself and his ability.

The 6-foot, 145-pound youth, who was seeded first in last month's regionals, is also seeded in the top ten for his age group in the Nationals tourney. And along with being the New York State champion for the 15-and-under age bracket, Pete who just turned 16 captured third place in the Men's Open Division in both the New York State Championships and the Peugeot Open. ANN, HIS MOTHER, commented on what the boys are doing in order to raise money to finance their trip, each needing about $500. Raffles, challenge courts and round-robin tournaments are among the fund-raising efforts. The club plans to supply any money the three cannot raise on their own, but Glantz, Cardillo and Chardavoyne will be working off their debt by grooming tennis courts and giving lessons.

Hopefully the JV 3 will begin their lessens early. t. against their oppo-' nents in the National tournament KAREN CROKE DAILY NEWS Nolan Glantz, Pete Chardavoyne and David Cardillo are names you probably won't recognize not yet, anyway. But give them time. Ask them who their favorite athletes are and names like Dave Peck and Mike Levine are bound to pop up in the conversation.

Ask them what they do in their spare time and they might tell you they like to hit kill shots, splat balls, bounce balls off ceilings and just generally hold court. You can usually find them, when they are not in school, at the Jefferson Valley Racquet Club doing what they do best playing racquetball. The JV 3, as they call themselves, are at it again. Call them "junior varmints" or "jarring volleyers" or "just vicious," but the three have earned the reputation they have created for themselves. Yes, the local three have become the forces to reckon with on the amatuer racquetball circuit, and after dominating the Northeast junior Regional Championships last month, 10-year-old Glantz and 16-' year-olds Chardavoyne and Cardillo (the Jefferson Valley 3) are headed for Wichita, Kansas and the American Amateur Racquetball Association (AARA) National Championships.

IN THE EARLY PART of March, the JV 3 swept three of four divisions at the AARA regionals as second-seed Glantz upset first-seed Jim Merk, 21-3 and 21-5, giving him the 10-and-under title; Chardavoyne, after squeezing out a 21 15 win in his first match against Sam Baftaglia, copped the second, 21-9, and the 15-and under David Cardillo, Nolan Grantz and Peter Chardavoyne (I. to are ready for the amateur championships this week. for years, but in reality, the 4-foot, 8-inch Glantz took up the sport just three years ago. And despite his size, Glantz makes it tough for even the 'toughest of his opponents. "Nolan is a thinking player," remarked fellow JV-er Cardillo.

"For his age and size, it's hard for him to overpower people. So. he has to use his head." Cardillo, on the other hand, is. a power player. A former ice hockey and lacrosse player, the Lakeland H.S.

sophomore (who is now sponsored by Carrera Sports) spent at least two hours every day on the courts teaching himself to play. His good friend Char- and unseeded Cardillo whipped first-seed Ray Ransom, 21-8 and 21-7, in the 17-and-under division finals. But this week, tomorrow through Thursday, it's off to the Nationals. Glantz, ironically, has the most experience in national tournament play having won the consolation round in last year's United States. Racquetball Association (USRA) Junior Nationals.

He feels "pretty good" about coming home with a trophy, commenting that many of last year's participants have now moved out of his age bracket But, the fifth-grader added, "I feel like sort of a has-been. But this year I'm older and more davoyne was his inspiration LIKE HE'S been playing" IS'TIE tnvia buff of SOUNDS.