Faces to Watch in ’95 : We’re Counting on Them : JAZZ

Some of them you know. Some you don’t. But the following artists, entertainers and executives have one thing in common: We’re counting on each to mae a significant impact or difference in their respective fields this year. Sure, there will be thers who make a splash, but after we talked with dozens of people who work in entertainment and the arts, these were the names mentioned most often. You might say that Jim Carrey was a face to watch in ‘94, and you would be right. But, based on “Ace Ventura,” “The Mask,” and “Dumb and Dumber,” Carrey’s ’95 should bear watching. Another pair of familiar faces--Jay Leno and David Letterman--appear on our list. Why? Haven’t we looked at these guys enough? Well, truth be told, how do you know what’s going to happen to them this year? Fame can be sooooo fleeting.

Mark Whitfield

Will Mark Whitfield, 27, become--as many observers have suggested--the new George Benson? He clearly has the capacity to do so, although he would probably be quick to decline a mantle that doesn’t accurately define his talent. In fact, Whitfield’s own initial forays into pop jazz were less than world-shaking, and probably a mistake, since his straight-ahead jazz playing has the kind of infectious swing that requires no popish tinkering to reach his audiences.

Although Whitfield’s live dates lack some of the musical adventurousness of his most recent recordings, his onstage presence and electric charisma as a performer are without question. If he balances his playing skills and his attractive persona with a more focused career drive, he should make a major breakthrough in 1995, not as Benson, but as a talented young guitarist whose playing flows easily across stylistic boundaries.