ALBUM REVIEWS : **** CLIFFORD JORDAN/JAMES WILLIAMS/RICHARD DAVIS/RONNIE BURRAGE : “Four Play� : <i> DIW Records</i>

Recorded last year in Tokyo, the tenor saxophonist, pianist, bassist and drummer respectively sound like old, old musical friends; however, this melody-reigns session is their first date as a unit. Jordan, renowned for his robust, mahogany-tinged tone, has rarely been so perfectly captured in a studio--his low notes purr, his vaults into the upper reaches resonate and gleam. His partners prance, too, as on “I Mean You,� where Williams’ harmonic acuity and skillful note choice are buoyed and bounced about by Davis and Burrage. Jordan’s “Tokyo Road� is a spirited reworking of “Love For Sale� minus the bridge and “For My Nephews� is an attractive Williams waltz that’s pretty but not cloying.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five stars (a classic).