years old, it hit the chart this year on the wings of a Delta Airlines TV campaign and the "Pure Moods" collection, both of which used the group's signature piece. 3hA&+rn The only thing better than having your VSIC music on a commercial is having a PBS spe- T AN High -Flying Melodies And Air Fare BY JOHN DILIBERTO

f environmental recycling advo- the New Age chart is becoming fossilized. cates had the success of Private Only three of the top 10 recordings, Jim Music/Windham Hill, there Brickman's "Picture This," Windham Hill's Ll1ya wouldn't be a scrap of trash on the "The Carols Of Christmas" and John Tesh's planet. Five of 's six charting "Avalon," consist of newly recorded material. and lyrical melodies bathed in velvet orches- albums in 1997, "In The Mirror," Of the top 25, only eight had music new to trations and melodramatic bombast. Both Kitaro "Devotion," "Port Of Mystery," "In My 1997, and four of those were collections. Yanni and Tesh trade in faux classicism, Time" and "Nightbird," simply recycle Perhaps even more distressing is the adding orchestras to their music to lend a cial. Continued television repeats of live per- music that's appeared on earlier platinum absence of a single new artist on the entire sweeping cinematic expanse to steroid - formances by Yanni, Tesh, Winston and collections like "Reflections Of Passion." But chart, unless you count Tuatara, the off- charged melodies. And they are followed Kitaro helped stoke their chart presence. that's good enough to make the Greek key - shoot group of R.E.M.'s Peter Buck; they're closely behind by musicians with the same Being on a major label doesn't hurt either. boardist the best -selling New Age Artist of way down at No. 46. But the real story of the symphonic aspirations, only they put even Windham Hill was more like a mountain the year. In fact, Yanni is one of a handful of New Age chart in 1997 is the increasing less coffee in their sugar. this year, and few independents could com- new age artists to crack the upper reaches of homogenization of the music it reflects. In Secret Garden's Celtic- tinged orchestra- pete. Its 19 charting titles made it the No. 1 the Billboard 200 album charts, with the past, the New Age chart was the home of tions clocked in at No. 6 of the top 10 artists New Age Imprint of the year. Private Music, "Devotion" and "In The Mirror." the weird and wonderful: Steve Roach's and No. 14 and No. 23 of the top 25 albums. Reprise, GTSP and Dancing Cat all tumble As goes Yanni, so goes the rest of the New techno -tribal excursions, Tangerine , the composer responsible for down the hillside in order, getting to the top Age Artist chart in 1997. Following him in the Dream's spacescapes and Michael Hedges' those baroque -like soundtracks to the De five on the strength of one artist each. top 10 are seven musicians with multiple quirky guitar mutations. In 1997, however, Beers diamond ads, brings that same classi- Besides Windham Hill, only Narada, charting releases: Jim Brickman (4), (3), artists on the periphery find themselves cal consciousness to his project. Its Higher Octave and Real Music shared the John Tesh (5), George Winston (2), Secret shuffled even further into the nether debut of hybrid chorale singing and grand wealth of their respective sixth -, eighth- and Garden (2), Kitaro (2), Ottmar Liebert (4) regions of the charts. Instead, we find a lush, orchestrations, "Songs Of Sanctuary," fin- tenth -place finishes among several artists and Jesse Cook (2). Far from being "New," romantic sound that extols classical elegance ished just below the top 25. Although two and titles.

Billboard DAILY NEWS FORT. Hullctf/

es awn: d SJ Will nSmith BILLBOARD BULLETIN IS ALWAYS FIRST WITH THE q To Sign Fresh 3 Tenon Can Marr4t7 Deal With Columbia

es - Nor/ record. . art st f L aaéaLarkaroth were 0. %fer Na Smith is about a. Ne ' dinde Lucenoaavarom bur weeks en e deal wth Columbia Recordslatwi will Maya R k. play Barcelona h fewer ^ month Ne release NEWS YOU NEED TO DO BUSINESS EVERY DAY. stores of to 000`aPaciN s 5lü for me er bockbuster'Menl NOu lao. k B c C scribed ara e "'"um1 > 5% to $1oT9 miflion, fierve"" stars Smllh "''' o Tommy C°'^edY antl I Lee Joness. Barcelona Fo %b aeir vs 3110.2 lanice. ratte , Columbia Records plans vssiorepenod a July 1 U.S. release ta year soundtrack. which of the mm's firstappeaarance, also 'nudes tracks by Mara ether ng Lorerrs bake- in Caneras' home Like report Will -BULLETIN it 7 Saes wee Trey Snoop Doggy Doge featenn ciN the on Smith's signing with Columbia Records had weeks before the competition! Roots featur rg e , ware OAnge o Tony ',ch.. yet, am sup - Th and emuwine. 1.thditoesch rap by Smith port. mark q by with ap appearance goes to retlo May 21.A Its first video rang Smith pegua e.0 Ne Thal ray On Cue(. edia..rore et being Produced by st utl sp.aleffects I ndusUlal Light B Magic rea,ed0, %, Smiles first acro agomill Way ands desaeslev,23% album for Columbks is due elanVPava -e He broke onto me scene ...no 1998 BULLETIN was also.., ro63a8smtes1. in 1988 as half of DJ. Jazzy $395 Jeff 8 1 Fresh Prince, one of the %fJune million In Apn11993N me first rep acts to achieve e .Tri pop promit- ,7 and Dorm rnan a fourra singles My o O men m 5 m reached No. °Cl Triée Madrid Jan Mus'cane a(aa5 st 20.floethe Hot PBS ch 991. am also Music Picture i Sm. evtended he Co.), of as theme likable a Ne TV etcom`The Fresh Prince concert first to report on plans for the Michael Jackson remix album first to report on Wal- Mart's exclusive Aerosmith EP üMl Of... and proved Mexeo 1.2 aRlce power vitro lest City and one in %; total sates fell summer's mega-hn -I I den. ro follow me,99e a..1 666A mew. vs. ur wee« x. World Cup soccer final .96Flor. me"T°'UUTb n veers Sony Music Shows Stron -Tee's w'M same r3 Musc EMI', a first to report on plans for an Alanis Morissette longform video ...and the list goes on. land's Mn,, Harris cor Fiscal -Year Performance Upped Down Under 0. %. T WI ow Mu, Enterta 6 nm global r lest 1 % % S88a.96 b'" e E,".:0==,;" 6 eon in the ( fiaca) end- in9 March 31, year acto Michael same pee, last eflecting'strong outside anos Japan, where performance OM and financial aw(Bil(Billboard 0 B vete Tn sao If getting the news first is important to your business V2 To Open I. O y Wants - r P Man. ap- g y B g g n V2 :V . d e% 66. (6h N division in June R ° uCe O report T I bel c lull g L g : R morning. 9e A9 TM1e Macho, de get every J h BILLBOARD BULLETIN ro P B b face, daily fax service e Y E Tico "etl aoag 1g taca salsa.' - mTI EM PrOduCt manager at rear accorti n y y Spty results -antl me ! rtl Son/, IS roars nN on 011 a de- cu ^n ped e Yen atta a of EMI International. pa parent Company S Y Co, 5 m % 1 Austiara has been major Maws net raw to a record aren wilewsm (8 3 139.5 a an) on sales or 5,663 billion maneaos tlmonth up rot aerreveel Coeauxic.r Tacs 133 N*0'9. or rxisenc.,. vs, rae neos;s0eoerfh uo tSev=exeelxurcai Call (212) 536 -5261 to subscribe or e -mail: jschulties @billboard.com ooins ruauaxen. You can also subscribe via our website at www.billboard.com Do it Daily.

YE-76 BILLBOARD DECEMBER 27, 1997