The French saxophonist, whose record debut was on the Roy Haynes set reviewed last month, was two months short of his 20th birthday when creating this first album under his own name. He had already moved on in creating a more commanding sound and, despite hints of Rollins and maybe Mobley, a quite individual approach to improv. Compared with his contemporary, Tubby Hayes, Wilen had less fluency and a greater ability to pause for thought. The original LP separated the two quartets by repertoire, with Vander (who died earlier this year after a long career, including work with pop-stars) featured on standards and two Gillespie warhorses, ‘Blue ’N Boogie’ and ‘A Night In Tunisia’. The second session – possibly a first anywhere in the world – had four Monk tunes, augmented on CD by two alternate takes and two further unreleased Monk items. The surprise here is the long-forgotten Cnudde, whose only recording this appears to be, and who had apparently been studying Monk's voicings closely before hooking up with Wilen. The tenorman is the main focus, however, and will be an eye-opener to those unaware of him.