Sonny Rollins: A Night At The Village Vanguard (Blue Note)

A master improviser in peak form - tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins playing at an awesome level of sustained inspiration. Made in one afternoon and evening at the famed New York club in the late 1950s, it places him in an exposed setting with just bass and drums - mostly handled by Wilber Ware and the great Elvin Jones - to create one of the jazz classics of any era. Certainly, the material has been readily available before, but this is the first time Blue Note have issued it as a two-CD set. What really distinguishes it from past reissues, however, is the digital remastering which, together with the removal of an annoying echo from previous releases, lifts the sound quality on to a different plane in a worthwhile gilding of the lily.

- Ray Comiskey

Frank Griffith: The Suspect (HEP)

Griffith is a little-known saxophonist, arranger and composer whose work on this just-issued album, made in 1990 in New York, epitomises his virtues and limitations. In a probing release, full of demanding music, mostly originals, the challenges posed may have caused some expressive inhibitions among the players - a slight air of caution is evident. That epitome of lyricism, Tom Harrell, escapes it best, with Joel Weiskopf, a fine pianist deserving wider recognition, and guitarist John Hart also contributing well; Griffith is highly competent if not especially individual on tenor. Admirably focused by an excellent rhythm section, buttressed by bassist James Genus and drummer Billy Drummond, the performances are mainly marked by solid craftsmanship.

- Ray Comiskey